The Tree of Liberty
by James Doyle
Summary: The seeds of rebellion already sown in Panem, Katniss and Peeta may hold the key to finding help from the remnant of a long-dead civilization.
1. Prelude

**The Tree of Liberty**

**By**

**James Doyle**

Prelude

Katniss Everdeen lay awake in her bed, too numb to cry, and to stunned to sleep. Earlier that day, she'd witnessed the execution of a man who'd done nothing more than show her respect for the way she'd treated Rue, the fallen tribute of District 11. She knew, of course, that whether or not he had intended it that way, to the Capitol, it had been more than a simple gesture of recognition. It had been an act of defiance.

Perhaps, though she thought it unlikely, she'd have been able to sleep that night if she'd had the evening to try and shake it off. But instead, she was expected to be polite, proper, gracious, and above all, madly in love with Peeta Mellark. The thought that she would have to continue that sham for the rest of her life proved too much to bear.

Katniss wanted to run to the back of the train, open a window, and scream out loud. Perhaps the Mockingjays would carry her cries throughout all of Panem, conveying the message to which she dared not give words. Perhaps she would have, had she not been interrupted in her thoughts by an unannounced entry into her cabin.

"Peeta?" she called out. "Haymitch?"

No answer came, only an electronic sound reminiscent of a bird whistle, followed closely by excruciating aching pain, and then unconsciousness.

Some time later, in the darkness of the early morning hours, in the midst of the wilderness between districts, the train passed through a tunnel, followed immediately by a bridge. As if timed perfectly to use the steel arch against itself, the train reached the center of the span before exploding in a brilliant light show, sending a plume hundreds of feet into the air, and sending countless pieces of itself and the bridge plummeting into the river below.

When Katniss awakened, she found herself seated in an uncomfortable chair in some sort of concrete bunker. She found herself unrestrained, but before she could get up and run, her eyes began to focus, and discovered the two Peacekeepers guarding her. Before she could further assess the situation, an older, slightly chubby Peacekeeper with a bad comb-over and a familiar face entered the room.

"Colonel Cray," said Katniss.

"Miss Everdeen," greeted Cray. "Nice to see you."

Katniss rolled her eyes. Feeling certain that President Snow had decided to skip the pretense and do away with her here and now, she deemed these pleasantries entirely pointless.

"So I suppose you're my executioner," surmised Katniss, sensing that she couldn't possibly get in any more trouble.

"I can see how you might think that," replied Cray, "But I can assure you, my business with you today has nothing to do with the Capitol. As a matter of fact, I don't imagine I'll be in command of District 12 much longer."

"I see," said Katniss. "So now that I've made a fool out of you, you want to do the job yourself."

Cray sighed. "I understand that you have no reason to trust me, but I have no intention of harming you."

"Really?" Katniss said incredulously. "So you kidnapped me in the middle of the night to have tea and biscuits?"

"No, my dear," responded Cray. "I'm afraid I need your assistance with a much more serious problem."

"And what problem would that be?"

"You've seen the unrest in District 11, I gather," said Cray.

Katniss nodded in the affirmative.

"Well, what you don't know," informed Cray, "is that unrest is brewing in the other districts, as well. Rebellion could break out at any moment. All of Panem is a powder keg just waiting for someone to light the fuse."

"I'm not seeing this as a bad thing," said Katniss.

"Perhaps not," granted Cray. "But I can guarantee you that President Snow will strike back, and strike back hard. No matter what happens, this could all end very badly for everyone."

"And you think I can do something about that?" asked Katniss.

Cray nodded.

"Sorry," declared Katniss, as if she had a choice. "But I think I'll take my chances with Snow, if it's all the same to you."

"That would be a shame," argued Cray, "considering that we went to a good deal of trouble to make him think you were dead."

"What?" reacted Katniss. "What did you do?"

"We destroyed your train," revealed Cray. "The initial investigation will find a defect in the train's hydrogen fuel cells. When it's determined that that alone wouldn't produce that big of a bang, further investigation will turn up bomb parts in Haymitch's mansion, and call the incident a suicide bombing."

_Haymitch, _Katniss thought to herself, _Cinna, Effie. Peeta!_

"What did you do, you son of a bitch?" snapped Katniss, forcing the two Peacekeepers to restrain her. "Did you murder them all just to get at me?"

"Calm down, Miss Everdeen!" pleaded Cray. "They're all perfectly safe and sound. We're still not sure what we're going to do with the folks from the Capitol, but you have my word – whatever it's worth – that they won't be harmed."

Katniss growled. She could only guess at what Cray had up his sleeve, but for the time being, she had little choice but to trust him.

"All right," agreed Katniss. "What is it you need my help with?"

"Follow me, please," requested Cray, who led her out of the room and down the corridor.

"What is this place?" asked Katniss as she took in the scene of the mostly-deserted bunker.

"Outpost 22," answered Cray. "Built during the Dark Times; used for some time after as a barracks. It's quicker to move troops by rail or hovercraft these days, so it doesn't see very much use. We're deep enough so that the thermal imaging scanners won't pick us up."

"Right," said Katniss, not feeling particularly secure in Cray's assurance.

"We're here," announced Cray, showing Katniss into a surprisingly comfortably-furnished room, with a table in the center bearing a metal briefcase. She suddenly felt relieved to see that this wasn't the only thing awaiting her.

"Peeta!" she cried, throwing her arms around her friend and sometime lover.

"Good to see you in one piece," declared Peeta.

"Likewise," reciprocated Katniss.

"As you might guess," interjected Cray, "Mr. Mellark has already agreed to help us."

"You still haven't told me what it is you do down here," noted Katniss.

"Mr. Mellark," delegated Cray. "Why don't you explain it?"

"Sure," agreed Peeta. "Katniss, there's a very good reason Cray and his men have been so easy on us. Cray and a few of his most trusted men are members of an order known as the Knights of Destiny."

Katniss laughed with a snort at the title.

"It's not as pretentious as you might think," continued Peeta. "Destiny is the name of a ship. Hundreds of years ago, the crew of Destiny left for someplace far away. But before they did that, they left us these to communicate with them."

Peeta opened the case, to reveal what looked like five polished green stones, and a rectangular silver device with a white surface.

"And you think they're still out there? After all this time?" asked Katniss, directing her question at Cray.

"They may very well be," answered Cray. "Or maybe their descendants. Or even someone else. In any case, these stones have been handed down from generation to generation of military units. Amidst war, peace, and regime changes, the Knights of Destiny have persisted, with a singular purpose: To make contact with Destiny."

"And you really believe all this?"

Cray nodded. "I have to. It's the only thing that gives me hope."

"So you want me...us...to try and make contact?"

"That's the idea, yes," said Cray.

"And what makes you think we can?"

Cray hesitated for a moment, and then answered. "Because you have the true warrior spirit."

"Me?" reacted Katniss. "All I ever did was try not to get killed."

"Not so," argued Cray. "You stood up for the innocent, like a soldier ought. It is to our shame that no one among the Peacekeepers can say that. It's my belief that they won't talk to us because they consider us unworthy."

_Can't say as how I blame them,_ thought Katniss to herself, disbelieving that she was actually giving credence to these insane rantings. It mattered not whether she believed. The fact remained that Cray held her life in his hands, not to mention those of her friends, and quite possibly her family. The only prudent course of action at this point was to humor him.

"All right," conceded Katniss with a sigh. "What do I do?"

"Take a stone in your hand," instructed Cray, flipping a switch which illuminated the white pad. "Place it on the actuator."

Peeta and Katniss both did as instructed, placing their stones on the device.

"Now what?" asked Katniss.

"Now we wait," said Cray.

Hours passed, and the fear and anxiety she'd felt earlier had long-since given way to sheer, morbid boredom. Though nothing like what one might find in the Capitol, she found the chair surprisingly comfortable. Peeta had already dozed off, and she began to feel her own eyelids growing heavy. She resisted, not wanting the nightmares to return. Finally, supreme exhaustion won out, and she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

Katniss awoke with a start. At least, she thought she'd awoken. She surveyed her surroundings, and found herself in a room very different from any she'd seen in the bunker...or anywhere else, for that matter. As she examined the table, she found an actuator with two stones, identical to the ones Peeta had shown her. Directly in front of her was a mirror; rusted, but still usable.

As she lifted the mirror to her face, she examined the woman staring back at her: Long, flowing black hair, almond-shaped brown eyes, and amber-colored skin. Like no one she'd ever seen before. Now she was sure she was dreaming. She set the mirror down and looked across the table to see a lean, broad-shouldered man, with shoulder-length mostly-gray hair, and a scruffy beard.

"Katniss?" called the man.

"Peeta?" she replied, still not believing this could actually be them.

Before they could make any further assessments, the heavy door slid open with a good deal of mechanical fanfare, and muscular fellow with dark brown skin and short-cropped black hair appeared. The weapon he carried suggested his green coveralls to be a military uniform of some sort.

"Colonel, this is Greer," said the man into the microphone adorning his shoulder, speaking in an archaic dialect that Katniss strained to understand.

"This is Young," responded the man's radio after some delay.

"You might want to get up to the communication room," advised Greer. "It looks like we've got some visitors."

"On my way," acknowledged Young.

With that, the door whirred shut once again.

"What's going on here?" asked Katniss.

"How should I know?" responded Peeta.

Katniss slapped herself hard across the face, just softly enough not to leave a welt. No change. Whatever was happening, bizarre thought it might be, clearly wasn't a dream.

"You think maybe the Capitol found us?" theorized Peeta. "Kept us out long enough to alter our appearances?"

The notion had some merit, thought Katniss. She wouldn't have put it past Snow to give them new identities so he could continue to torment them in whatever twisted, subtle ways he might dream up. It seemed like an awful lot of trouble, but then again, the Capitol could be quite elaborate in their machinations. Case in point: The Hunger Games.

"I dunno," said Katniss, not able to sell herself on the idea. "That guy didn't look like any Peacekeeper I've ever seen."

Before they could discuss it further, the door opened once again, through which the man who'd seen them initially escorted a middle-aged gentleman with light olive skin, and short, curly black hair. He could have come from the Seam, were it not for his clothes, which, though different from the other fellow's, were clearly a military uniform.

"Hello," greeted the man, extending his hand. Both Katniss and Peeta hesitated.

"Don't be afraid," encouraged their host. His voice and his eyes seemed disarmingly kind, but then Katniss had met many such people in the Capitol. She examined the man's escort, who, while armed, didn't seem particularly eager to shoot anyone. Katniss decided there was no harm in a handshake, and took the man's hand, prompting Peeta to do likewise.

"And who might you be?" he asked.

"Katniss," she answered tentatively. "Katniss Everdeen. This is my friend Peeta Mellark."

"Pleasure to meet you both. I'm Colonel Everett Young. Welcome aboard the Destiny."

**End of Chapter One**


	2. The Ship of Dreams

Chapter II: The Ship of Dreams

"Destiny?" echoed Katniss. "You mean the ship?"

Colonel Young chuckled. "Yes, the ship."

"What have you done to us?" demanded Katniss. "What happened to our bodies?"

"Your bodies are fine," assured Young. "The stones work by transferring the user's consciousness into someone else's body on the other end. The people whose skins you're wearing at the moment are Camille Wray and Dr. Nicholas Rush, who are back on earth as we speak, communicating through your bodies."

"Earth?" reacted Peeta. "Just where exactly are we?"

Young smiled. "That, my friend, warrants a longer explanation."

Katniss and Peeta followed Young through a labyrinth of corridors, hatches, and elevators, with Greer bringing up the rear.

"We're here," announced Young, showing his guests into the observation lounge.

The two friends stood in awe as they gazed out of the window at the stem of the massive ship, bathed in a sort of constantly-moving luminescent mist. Beyond that lay the vastness of space, the view ever-changing as distant stars raced past them.

"How fast are we going?" asked Peeta.

"Several hundred times the speed of light," answered Young.

"The speed of light?" asked Katniss. "Light has a speed?"

From this question, Young surmised, correctly, that Katniss hadn't much of a grasp on physics.

"The speed of light is one-hundred and eighty-six thousand miles per second," continued Young. "At that speed, it takes a ray of light, or a radio signal, a little less than two seconds to travel from the earth to the moon. Now, if we were somehow able to generate a signal powerful enough to travel all the way back to earth – which, by the way, is beyond our technical capability – it would take over a billion years to get there."

"If what you say is true," Katniss asked incredulously, "Then how did you get this ship all the way out here?"

"We didn't," answered Young. "This ship was launched thousands of years ago by a race called the Alterans, or as we call them, the Ancients. In classical physics, nothing can travel faster than light. However, the Ancients figured out how to work around this limit. The Ancients are long-gone, but they left behind much of their technology. We found that technology, discovered how to use it, and eventually began reverse-engineering it."

"If you didn't launch with the ship," asked Peeta, "then how did you get here?"

"That," answered Young, "is the next stop on the tour."

After several minutes of walking, Young led them to cavernous room, flanked by two curved staircases. At the far end of the room stood an ornate metal ring, with all sorts of gadgets attached to it.

"This is the Stargate," said Young. "Our lead scientist Dr. Rush is back on earth at the moment, so I leave you in the equally-capable hands of Mr. Eli Wallace. Eli?"

"Um, hi," greeted the portly young man, clad in a hooded sweatshirt and red t-shirt. "You must be our visitors from earth."

"Peeta Mellark," he introduced himself, shaking Eli's hand.

"Katniss Everdeen," said Katniss in kind, doing the same.

"So where are y'all from?" asked Eli, attempting to make polite conversation.

"District 12," they answered in unison.

"Sorry," said Eli, "I'm not familiar with the current census designations. Could you be a little more general?"

"Well," answered Katniss, "they used to call our region Appalachia."

"Ah, yeah," responded Eli, "I've been there. Gorgeous part of the country."

Not sure what to make of Eli's comment, the two friends responded simply with a blank stare.

"Okay, then," Eli said awkwardly. "Let's talk about the Stargate. It's a remarkable piece of technology that actually folds the fabric of space-time itself, creating a shortcut. Now, the hole it makes is pretty small, so the gate takes you apart at the subatomic level and puts you back together at the other end."

The blank stares returned.

"Okay, I've lost you again," surmised Eli.

"No, I get it," clarified Peeta, "But if this thing destroys you, and remakes you on the other end, how do you know you're the same person?"

"That," Eli said timidly, "is a very interesting metaphysical question that I can't even begin to unpack. All I can tell you is, I've been through this thing dozens of times, and near as I can tell, I'm still me."

"And you can use this to travel to earth and back?" asked Katniss.

"Well," obfuscated Eli, before cutting right to it. "Not really, no. Dialing this bad-boy takes massive amounts of energy as it is. And that's just for short-range in-galaxy hops. Sending people across these kinds of vast, interstellar distances requires near-incomprehensible amounts of energy. And there's only one or two ways we know of doing that."

"I see," said Katniss. "So basically, you're stuck here?"

Eli nodded. "For the time being, yes. But, thanks to the stones, we can go back and visit using someone else's body."

"Cray said no one's heard from you in centuries," noted Katniss.

"Well, there's a very good reason for that," said Eli. "Come on, I'll show you."

After even more walking, Katniss, Peeta, and their escorts came to a long corridor lined on both sides with small alcoves.

"These," narrated Eli, "Are stasis pods. When you step into one of these, your biological functions slow to a crawl, keeping you alive for hundreds, even thousands of years. When we stepped in, it was the early part of the twenty-first century."

Once again, Eli spotted confused looks on his guests' faces.

"I'm sorry," elucidated Eli, "On our calendar, we're about two decades into the twenty-_ninth_ century."

Katniss began to piece things together. "So you were in one of these chambers for-"

"Over eight-hundred years," supplied Eli. "Actually, I almost didn't make it. One of our last three pods wasn't working. I volunteered to stay out so I could try and fix the thing. I only had two weeks of life support left, and I worked right down to the last second. In fact, I probably took too long."

Greer began to console him. "Eli, nobody-"

"It's okay," interrupted Eli, holding his hand up. "It is what it is, and we all have to live with it."

Seeing the sadness in the young man's eyes, Katniss wanted so badly to ask him what troubled him so much. She sensed, however, that he wasn't quite ready to talk about it, especially not to a virtual stranger.

"Well, that was suitably awkward," said Eli, breaking the silence. "Well, since you can pretty much set your watch by my stomach's growling, it's just about time for lunch."

Eli and Greer escorted the pair to the mess hall. As he expected, several of the crew vied for a spot at the table with Destiny's honored guests. Having already gotten to know them a bit, Colonel Young relinquished his spot to his second-in-command. Though Katniss would never conceive of pursuing anyone on this ship romantically, the fellow's rugged good looks didn't escape her notice. Nor did her gaze escape the notice of the slender, pale-skinned, dark-haired young lady who took a seat beside him.

"Eyes off, sister," the young lady warned playfully, eliciting a chuckle from the rest of the group. "This one's all mine."

"I'm Lieutenant Matthew Scott," introduced the young man, extending his hand. "And this is my fiancee, Chloe Armstrong."

"Pleasure," said Katniss.

"And these are Lieutenants Tamara Johansen and Vanessa James," introduced Scott, pointing to the blonde and the brunette seat next to Katniss.

Before any further introductions could be made, lunch was served. It consisted of a protein paste, mixed with whatever seasonings could be found. Not unlike the food back home, Katniss thought.

"Sorry about the grub," apologized Eli. "We're still in the process of restocking. It was actually a couple of months before we could spare the bodies to man the stones."

"Don't worry, it's fine," Katniss said with a smile.

In spite of himself, Peeta couldn't help but notice James' generous womanly endowment. He knew it was rude to stare, but he had never seen a pair like these anywhere outside of the Capitol. Given how they were generally obtained in said place, he couldn't contain the question in his mind.

"Are those...real?" asked Peeta.

"Peeta!" objected Katniss, offended for James' sake and embarrassed for both hers and Peeta's.

After a moment of awkward silence, the entire table burst out laughing.

"Yep," answered James, still stifling a laugh. "That's all me."

"So what do you do?" asked Chloe. "Back on earth, I mean."

_We used to kill people for sport_, thought Katniss to herself. _Now we travel around and look pretty for the Capitol._

"Well," ventured Katniss. "Peeta's a baker's apprentice. Me...I guess you could call me a subsistence hunter."

"So wait?" asked James. "You're not military?"

"No," answered Katniss.

"There has to be some reason Homeworld Command picked you," said the man at the end of the table with curly dark hair. "Oh, sorry, Adam Brody," he introduced with a wave.

"Well, I don't know what Homeworld Command is," responded Katniss. "But I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist anymore."

The crowd grew silent, hanging on Katniss' words. Katniss swallowed hard. She knew these people deserved to know what had become of their word, and decided now was as good at time as any.

"I'm not gonna lie," began Katniss. "Things are pretty bad back on earth. I don't know how many of us there are; I just know it's a lot fewer than there used to be. Our country is called Panem, and it's broken down into twelve districts, plus the Capitol. Hah, districts! They're more like prisons! They keep us in using electric fences. In my district we mine coal. It all gets shipped off to the Capitol, and all we get in return are grain rations."

"Oh my gosh," responded the blind woman seated across the way with Greer. "That's terrible!"

"I can't imagine how people even survive," added Johansen.

"A lot of people don't," added Peeta. "But we do what we can. Katniss hunts, people grow their own vegetables and herbs, trade on the black market for things they can't get otherwise."

"And just who's in charge of all of this?" asked Scott.

"His name's President Snow," answered Katniss. "He portrays himself as this strong, benevolent ruler. But it's a lie. The only thing he cares about is his own power, and showing that power in whatever sort of sick, perverted way he can imagine."

"And what ways would that be?" asked Young, deciding to make his presence known.

Katniss and Peeta looked into one another's eyes, making an unspoken agreement that the crew of Destiny needed to know about the Games.

"Every year," began Katniss, "the Capitol sends out representatives to the Districts in an event called the Reaping. They have a lottery, and from everyone ages twelve to eighteen, they choose two people from each district – one boy, and one girl – to compete in an event they call the Hunger Games.

"They take us to the Capitol, train us, dress us up and make us over, treat us to only the finest food and drink. And then...they let us loose in an arena...it's different every year...and broadcast us across the country as we fight to the death. Our only means of survival are our wits, our strength, our skills, and gifts from sponsors."

Young debated whether or not take Katniss and Peeta and talk to them in private about this. He likewise decided, however, that his crew deserved to know what had become of their home.

"You keep saying 'we'," observed Young. "I take it you've participated in these games."

"Yes," admitted Katniss, her eyes beginning to mist up. "We both have. They changed the rules this last year so we both could win. Otherwise, there'd only be one of us."

"Ladies and gentlemen," said Young after a long silence. "I can see we've all lost our appetites, so I think it might be best if we all just take some time to rest. We'll resume normal work rotations at 1600. Dismissed."

"What the hell kind of stupid name for a country is Panem?" Brody asked his friend Dr. Dale Volker as they left the mess hall.

"What are you talking about?" argued Volker. "It's a fine name."

"It sounds like the name of an airline."

"No, it doesn't. It's Latin for bread."

"Yeah, and it sounds like the name of airline."

Meanwhile, Young and Greer escorted their guests back to the communications room.

"Please understand," explained Young. "I won't dismiss anything you'd said lightly. But I need more information. I need to confer with as many people from earth as possible; get a good perspective on the situation back there."

"We should probably send Effie," noted Peeta.

"Yeah," snarked Katniss. "She loves gushing about the Games."

"Yes, I'd like to hear what she has to say," agreed Young.

A few moments later, they arrived back at the stones.

"We'll have someone else on the stones in about two hours," announced Young. "Do you think you could round up two more people by then?"

Katniss nodded. "I'm sure that can be arranged."

"Very good," approved Young. "We'll be in touch."

Young circled the table and reached for the switch on the actuator. Before doing so, he paused for a moment to say one more thing.

"And Katniss," added Young. "Always remember, you're not alone."

"Thanks," said Katniss. "You do the same."

At that moment, Colonel Young's smiling face disappeared, and the cold, dark recesses of Outpost 22 reappeared. Katniss turned around and saw Colonel Cray, who had no doubt been briefing with Camille Wray and Dr. Rush.

"Destiny is real," declared Katniss. "She's out there."

Cray nodded. "We know."

**End of Chapter Two**


	3. The Knights of Destiny

Chapter III: The Knights of Destiny

"Thank you, Lieutenants," said Colonel Cray. "You've been most helpful."

"It's the least we could do, Colonel," replied 2Lt. Vanessa James, as she and Lt. Matthew Scott prepared to return to Destiny.

Cray switched off the device, and Effie Trinket and Haymitch Abernathy returned to Outpost 22.

"My word!" complained Effie. "How does that woman stay upright with those ridiculous bosoms?"

Cray groaned. "Did you manage to get the point across?"

"Yes," answered Effie. "I did exactly as you said: I told them all about the Games the same way I always do."

"Haymitch?" queried Cray, not entirely convinced.

"It's true," confirmed Haymitch. "She told them everything there is to know about the Hunger Games. The good, the bad, and the ugly."

"I don't see what the point of all this is, anyway," whined Effie, "What happens on the other side of the universe isn't of much consequence to us, now is it?"

Cray rolled his eyes. "Your cooperation is appreciated."

Effie snorted. "Well, I don't see as how I have much choice."

As soon as the guards had escorted Effie out of the room, Peeta and Katniss returned.

"You're sure including her is a good idea?" asked Cray.

Katniss nodded. "She'll play once she realizes what's at stake."

"And what about Cinna?"

"Cinna's from the Capitol, but he has no special love for it. I think we can count on him."

"Begging you pardon," interjected Haymitch, "But what exactly is it we're trying to accomplish here?"

"It's abundantly clear at this point that our first priority should be finding this Stargate," answered Cray.

"Do we even know where it is?" asked Peeta.

"Unfortunately, no," lamented Cray.

After a moment of contemplation, the wheels began turning in Haymitch's head.

"Wait," he offered, "I think I might have a clue."

"Let's hear it," prompted Cray.

"Just a few years ago, when they were building the arena for the 74th Games...the ones these two were in."

Katniss groaned. "Don't remind me."

Haymitch continued. "Anyway, to get it just right, they had to level a mountain. As they were hauling off the rubble, they found this metal ring with some symbols carved into it. About thirty or forty feet across. They never did figure out what it was. Diamond drill-heads kept breaking. Lasers just bounced right off of it. Eventually they just stored it away."

"That sounds like our Stargate, all right," confirmed Katniss.

"Something like that they'd keep locked-up at Peacekeeper R&D," deduced Cray.

"And where exactly is that?" asked Peeta.

Cray sighed. "On one of the sub-levels of the Peacekeeper Command building in the Capitol."

"So let me see if I have this straight," summarized Haymitch. "You want us to try and break into the toughest, most heavily-guarded building in all of Panem?"

"It won't be easy," granted Cray. "But with the right plan, I think we can do it."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just walk right out of here and turn the lot of you in," threatened Haymitch.

"You could," granted Cray.

"Just like that?" asked Peeta. "You wouldn't try to stop us?"

"What difference would it make?" argued Cray. "One way or another, Snow has us all fitted up for a toe-tag, anyway."

"Just one thing I'm still not clear about," said Katniss. "We already made contact. It's obvious at this point that you didn't actually need us for that. So why do you still need us?"

"I'm not sure how organized the rebellion is at this point," explained Cray, "but I'd bet anything that they want to put your face on their banners. President Snow wants to discredit you. Like it or not, you're the face of earth right now."

"Even if everyone thinks I'm dead?"

"Especially if everyone thinks you're dead."

"So instead, you want me to be _your _mouthpiece," surmised Katniss.

"No, I don't," answered Cray. "Because I know you want to be more than a symbol. I know you want to stand up for humanity in a substantial way. And figuring out what resources we have off-planet is, in my opinion, the best way to do that."

Katniss looked over at her former mentor. "How about it, Haymitch?"

Haymitch groaned. "All right. I'm in if you're in."

"Peeta?"

"Hey, I was all for this from the start," replied Peeta.

"All right, Colonel," agreed Katniss. "I'll try and sell the others."

"Good," approved Cray. "We're going to need their help, too."

Meanwhile, aboard Destiny, Colonel Young assembled his makeshift committee, consisting of Lieutenants Johansen and Scott, Doctors Rush and Volker, Adam Brody, Camille Wray, and Eli Wallace; the group he'd come to refer to as the Elders.

"All right, ladies and gents," began Young. "I've called this meeting to discuss the situation back on earth, specifically as pertains to the group known as the Knights of Destiny."

Brody snorted. "Pretentious name if ever I heard one."

"Is there something constructive you'd like to add, Mr. Brody?" Young asked disapprovingly.

Brody shook his head.

"Very well," continued Young. "Now, here is what we think we know: The polar ice caps have melted, putting a substantial portion of earth's surface underwater. Large tracts of the remaining land are uninhabitable; cities have been abandoned and reclaimed by nature. The civilization we left behind is long-gone, having been replaced either by tyrannical states, or outright savagery. No one has exact figures, but by Colonel Cray's best estimates, the current population of earth is less than fifty million. So the question is: What, if anything can we do?"

"I don't see as how it matters now," opined Rush.

"Would you care to elaborate, Dr. Rush?" prompted Young.

"As Colonel Young said, the civilization we left behind is gone. Whatever objectives the IOA, or Homeworld Command, or anyone else for that matter, have failed. And there's nothing we can do about it. The only thing that matters now, is Destiny's mission, of solving the age old mystery of the origins of the universe."

"So what?" objected Volker. "You're suggesting we just abandon them?"

"I'm not saying anything of the sort," countered Rush. "Of course we'll remain in contact with them; report our findings. But as for rebuilding their civilization, they'll have to figure that out on their own. We simply can't afford to commit the resources."

"Excuse me?" interjected Eli. "Why is this even a debate? These are our people, fighting for our home. We can't just leave them hanging. We need to help them any way we possibly can."

"Eli's right," concluded Young. "I, and all the other military personnel aboard this ship, swore an oath to defend the freedom and security of the people of earth. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna back down now, when it's in my power to help them."

"Another thing is," added Camille, "We need to figure out what's going on in the rest of the galaxy; see if our allies are still out there; maybe even secure ourselves a supply line."

"Exactly," agreed Young. "So as of right now, our objective is to help them come up with a plan. Our first priority is getting them offworld."

"Ships are no good," reported Scott. "Even if they had any ships, nothing's able to fly higher than about half a klick. The government says it's something about 'atmospheric destruction', but I'm pretty sure that's just propaganda."

"IMDI," said Young.

"Beg your pardon, sir?" said Scott.

"International Missile Defense Initiative," elaborated Young. "The program was conceived and designed by Jack O'Neill. He thought that earth stood a better chance of standing together against extraterrestrial threats if we eliminated the threat of nuclear annihilation from our own planet. The system was in initial testing over a large tract in the Australian outback when we left. It had a number of bugs, including detecting anything that flew higher than about two klicks as a missile launch, and failing to shoot down actual missiles."

"The system must have activated prematurely when the disaster happened on earth," deduced Brody.

"That was my thought, as well," affirmed Young. "Bottom line is, as of right now, there's only one way off our planet, and that's through the Stargate. Now, the Knights think they may have located the gate. They will need our help to get it running. We'll coordinate with them to work out who will be on the stones when. Until then, you're dismissed."

Young signaled for Rush just as he was leaving.

"I understand your objections," said Young.

"Well, that's very comforting," Rush replied insincerely.

"What I need to know is, can I count on your cooperation with this?"

Rush snorted. "Considering you'll get the lot of us killed without my help, I don't see that I have much choice."

"I'll take it," said Young.

Back at Outpost 22, Cray gathered the Knights together with District 12 Victory Tour crew.

"All right, people," began Cray. "Colonel Young has agreed to help us. Since any one of you would be forced to turn on the rest of us, this doesn't happen unless we're all in. So I need to know now: does anyone want out?"

Other than sighs of resignation from Effie and a few members of the prep crew, no one voiced any objections.

"Very good," approved Cray. "Our mission objective is straightforward: Locate the Stargate, dial it to an off-world location, and make contact with our former allies. I'm not exaggerating when I say that our mission is the best hope for the continued survival, and eventual freedom, of humanity."

"No pressure," Haymitch muttered to Katniss.

"Katniss, Haymitch, I need to see you. The rest of you are dismissed."

As soon as the others had left, Katniss and Haymitch gathered around Cray.

"I think I know how I can get us into Peacekeeper HQ," reported Cray.

"Let's hear it," prompted Haymitch.

"As I said," continued Cray, "I'm due for a dressing down from Command. It's the sort of experience a commander doesn't expect to survive. That's why I'm going to request to make my report directly to the General."

"Do you really think they'll go for that?" asked Haymitch.

"Are you kidding?" replied Cray. "A negligent officer coming before the Capitol to face the music and beg for mercy? They'll eat it up!"

"Okay, so that'll get you into the Capitol," granted Katniss. "What about the rest of us?"

"That part you're not going to like," warned Cray. "And you're really going to have to trust me."

"Trust you?" asked Katniss. "Cray, what are you thinking?"

"There's only one way I can bring you to the Capitol: As my prisoners."

**End of Chapter Three**


	4. Storming the Gate

Chapter IV: Storming the Gate

Cinna finished putting on the finishing touches, and stood back to survey his work. Once he'd done so, he directed Katniss over to the mirror to examine herself. She still looked like someone from the seam, but the false depth-perception effects that Cinna had created altered her features such that no one would be able to recognize her.

"Cinna, you're a genius!" beamed Katniss.

Cinna smiled. "You should see Effie."

"You mean she actually looks like a normal person?" guessed Katniss.

"That's right."

"Oh, gosh, this I have to see to believe!"

Cinna led Katniss into Effie's prep room, where she found a woman with light skin that looked like it had seen just a hint of sun, and blonde hair pulled back into a simple pony tail, clad in a white Peacekeeper uniform.

"This is horrendous!" protested Effie. "I look like a common beat-cop!"

"I think that was the general idea," said Katniss.

"Do you have any idea how much I spent on those skin treatments?"

"Oh, yes," taunted Katniss. "You'd have made a lovely cadaver!"

Effie wrinkled her nose at Katniss, eliciting a laugh.

"Seriously," said Katniss. "If you think this is such a horrible idea, why did you agree to it in the first place?"

"Honestly?"

Katniss nodded.

Effie sighed. "Even if I'd turned all of you in, my life would be over. Their aren't too many career options for disgraced Games consultants, you know. I don't agree with what you're trying to do, but getting out and seeing the galaxy is vastly preferable to the alternative."

"Well, if you're going to play along," admonished Cinna, "I'd suggest you work on losing your accent. Peacekeepers don't talk like that."

"Hmph!", Effie responded indignantly.

Katniss found herself once again in the communications room aboard Destiny, where she once again saw Colonel Young's smiling face. Before she could greet him, however, the hatch opened, and Master Sergeant Greer's bullet-riddled corpse came flying through the door. Colonel Young drew his sidearm, and let forth a warrior's cry as he shot at Greer's assailants, only to be cosigned to the same fate by their sub-machine guns.

The two Peacekeepers trained their weapons on Katniss, but held their positions. President Snow entered the room and took his place among them. Behind him came Clove, the tribute who'd have killed her in the Games if not for Thresh's intervention, who dove across the table and knocked Katniss to the ground.

President Snow laughed loudly as Clove began slashing her face. She made her final move to slit Katniss' throat when...

Katniss awoke with a start. She couldn't tell what time of day it was, since the train was still underground. Still, she decided it was close enough to morning that she could conclude her final night aboard the train. Despite it having been quite a comfortable place to live, she looked forward to leaving it behind for good.

After touching up her makeup, she donned her Peacekeeper uniform once again and exited her cabin, where she immediately found Colonel Cray.

"Oh, good," greeted Cray. "I was just about to rouse you."

Katniss nodded, and slipped past him. As she exited the train, she could hear him knocking on Effie's door in the background.

"Rise and shine, doll-face," called Cray.

A moment later, the door slid open, with Effie clad in a robe.

"Could I have few minutes to freshen up?" requested Effie.

"Make it quick," granted Cray. "We ship out in thirty minutes."

Katniss watched as her train (the real one, not the duplicate the Knights had blown up) pulled out of the bunker. Right behind it came a standard Peacekeeper troop carrier. Katniss fought the involuntary reflex of punching out the Peacekeeper who bound her hands with nylon straps.

As she expected, Katniss found the inside of the train a good deal more modest. A row of simple metal benches ran the length of the car on either side. The Peacekeeper directed Katniss to her seat, where he additionally secured her hands with a pair of shackles, with additional cuffs around her ankles to secure her legs. The Peacekeepers guarding her and the other "prisoners" took their seats on the opposite bench just as Colonel Cray came through the car to make his inspection.

Cray walked by slowly, giving cursory nods to each prisoner and guard. He paused for a moment in front of Katniss.

"It's not so bad if you don't struggle," he said softly before moving along.

In spite of everything, Katniss wasn't entirely convinced this whole thing wasn't some elaborate hoax, and that her final destination wasn't a gas chamber somewhere in the Capitol. She decided she wouldn't be fully convinced until she stepped through the Stargate herself.

Despite losing all track of time due to the train's complete lack of windows, and her limbs going numb, Katniss felt no urge to sleep. For this, she was grateful, as wasn't sure she could handle another nightmare just now.

The train having made several fuel stops, Katniss began to doubt it would ever actually reach its destination. She knew, however, the time had come when the center door opened. This would be the last thing she saw for quite awhile, as the guards began placing shrouds over the prisoners' heads. Still, Katniss attempted to keep mental track of the number of steps, and the number and direction of the turns, they had taken. She continued going over it in her head as the guard shoved her into a holding cell as he removed the shroud.

Katniss had cellmates, but no one she recognized. She suspected this was to avoid arousing suspicion in the unlikely event that someone had managed to identify them. At least, she hoped this was the reason.

_Nothing to do now but wait, _she thought to herself.

Colonel Cray made his way up to the Command Offices, where the General awaited him. Cray snapped a quick salute, which the General acknowledged with only a nod.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in, Cray?" the General asked rhetorically.

"Yes, sir," Cray answered.

"I seriously doubt that you do," continued the General. "But we'll get to that presently. Colonel, do you know why the Peacekeepers are so effective as a force?"

"Well, sir," ventured Cray, "We're highly-trained; have the highest-ideals of law and order and the good of the Federation in mind."

"That's certainly part of it," granted the General, "But more than that, we serve as a constant and ever-present reminder of who exactly is in charge."

"Yes, sir," acknowledged Cray.

"The presence of certain...activities, Colonel, is counter-productive to that goal," continued the General. "Activities, such as moonshining, black marketeering, poaching, and of course...taking advantage of young ladies."

Cray gulped, thinking he may very well have walked straight into his own funeral pyre.

"I cannot deny any of that, sir," confessed Cray.

"Indeed," said Cray with a nod. "You would be foolish to do so. Don't misunderstand me: Justice will be served, and for you it will be swift, harsh, and public."

"Yes, sir."

"And yet, I sense that you are not completely incompetent, and that you don't wish to leave my office without elaborating on the report your underling handed me before I locked him up."

"No, sir," answered Cray. "The prisoners I brought with me were members of an underground faction known as the Knights of Destiny."

The General laughed. "Such delusions of grandeur I've never heard!"

"Yes, sir," Cray agreed. "They believe the government of Panem is part of some vast alien conspiracy, whose duty they take upon themselves to overthrow. Despite their delusions, I believe them to be highly dangerous. We confiscated a piece of technology from them."

"You mean this device?" asked the General, indicating the briefcase on his desk.

"Yes, sir."

The General nodded and began to disengaged the latches.

"I wouldn't do that, sir," cautioned Cray. "That could be dangerous."

The General chuckled. "The device has been through the scanner. The techs assure me there's nothing hazardous inside."

The General opened the case, and surveyed its contents, somewhat curious as why the rebels had left the device on.

"I suppose they think these stones are some sort of alien technology," guessed the General.

"So they say, sir," confirmed Cray.

"They are quite lovely," noted the General, reaching down to examine one of the stones. As he did so, he paused for a moment, then closed the case again.

"Guards," called the General, to which two MPs responded immediately.

"I'm placed Colonel Cray under arrest. Escort him to a holding cell."

"Yes, sir," the guards responded in unison, taking Cray out of the office.

After they'd left, the General switched on the computer console on his desk. Seeming confused by the device at first, he quickly gain mastery of the interface, and navigated to the surveillance system.

"Suckers," the General muttered to himself, grinning as only Eli Wallace could.

"Alrighty, then. Ladies and gentlemen of the Capitol, a little security theater for your viewing pleasure," Eli muttered himself as he rearranged video footage using the touch screen interface. After making a few more changes, Eli summoned an aide, who took the suitcase and followed him down to the sub-levels.

Only when they had reached the holding cells did the aide begin to question the General's motives.

"What are you doing, sir?" demanded the aide.

"Nothing you need concern yourself about, Sergeant," said Eli as manipulated a control panel.

As the holding cells slid open, the aide drew his sidearm and pointed it at Eli.

"Step away from the panel, sir!" ordered the aid.

Eli put his hands in the air. Before the aide could reach for his radio, however, Katniss Everdeen sprang forth from her cell, administering a flying tackle. Eli hit the deck just in time to avoid the bullet accidentally fired by the aide. Satisfied that he was unconscious, Peeta dragged the man into a cell.

"Eli Wallace," greeted Eli for the benefit of those looking at him and seeing the General.

"I figured," replied Katniss. "Why the hell did you bring him down here?"

"Command officers don't carry luggage," supplied Cray. "They have underlings for that."

"My thoughts exactly," agreed Eli.

"Could we get on with this?" interjected Haymitch. "I'm sure there's more where he came from."

"Oh, right," said Eli.

After entering a few commands on a control panel, Eli prompted Cray to place his hand on the panel, which rewarded him with a beeping sound and a green light.

"Congratulations, Colonel" said Eli, "You now have an all-access, backstage pass to Peacekeeper Central."

"Excellent," approved Cray. "Let's move out."

"Oh, Katniss," added Eli, opening up the case. "Vanessa might be useful here."

"Right," agreed Katniss, touching the stone.

A quick look between Eli and Vanessa being sufficient acknowledgment, they followed the rest of the group.

The Knights moved through the base with incredible ease, the ratings making way and saluting as they passed.

"I have to say, Eli," commented James, "I'm impressed."

"Wish I could take credit for it," replied Eli. "I thought for sure we'd have to fight our way up. I never dreamed the son-of-a-bitch would want to inspect the merchandise himself."

The group made their way to the armory, where they proceeded to don body armor and arm themselves with whatever they could find.

"I'm surprised they don't have some kind of code to go with the biometric," observed James.

"Oh, the token changes every thirty minutes," explained Eli. "So I just memorized the cipher."

"I'm guessing they won't just let us traipse through the base armed to the teeth," predicted James.

"Right," confirmed Cray. "We're going to have to shoot our way the rest of the way in."

The Knights actually managed to make it down to the R&D sub-level before being challenged.

"Stop where you are!" ordered a guard. Without a word, James opened fire, taking the guard down. Cray's subordinate Sergeant Darius did the same as he took point. As they reached their destination, they managed to seal the door at either end of the corridor before entering the bay where they hoped to find the Stargate.

Before following them into the room, James affixed the Peacekeeper-equivalent of C4 to the walls at either end of the corridor, then sealed the bay door behind her.

"Fire in the hole!" she cried as she detonated the explosives.

"You sealed us in?" asked Peeta.

James nodded. "There's only two ways we're getting out of here: Through the Stargate, or in a body bag."

In the center of the room, they found a large box filled with sand. After digging a few inches deep, they found a metal ring with inscriptions on it.

"That's it," declared James. "Let's get it set up."

After a few minutes with the entire team working together, the millenia-old device stood tall and proud, needing only one thing before being ready to usher travelers across the sky.

"There should be a main power conduit behind that wall," directed Eli. "Wait for my signal."

Eli punched a few commands into the control panel. "Should be safe now."

Several of the Knights assisted in breaking down the wall to find the necessary power cables. After verifying that they were, in fact, dead, they disconnected the leads and began attaching them to the Stargate. As they did so, Eli continued to manipulate the panel.

"What are you doing?" asked Haymitch.

"Drawing this amount of power off the grid is bound to attract attention," explained Eli. "I'm creating a few random malfunctions to throw them off the scent."

"Won't they find those dead bodies first?" argued Haymitch.

"Quite possibly," granted Eli. "I've sealed off this entire section, but eventually, they'll figure out something's wrong and override my commands. I'm just trying to buy us a little bit of time."

"How much time?"

"At these power levels, it'll take about two hours for the Stargate to charge up."

"Two hours?" reacted Haymitch."Are you fraking nuts?"

"Oh, it gets better," continued Eli. "Once we establish a wormhole, we'll only have about ninety seconds to get through."

"Fantastic!"

Some time later, the Knights readied themselves as they began to hear the rubble being cleared. Eli tried to lock them out again, only to find that his credentials had been revoked.

"That's it," declared Eli. "I've done all I can do. Let's just hope this works."

Just then, the gate made a loud clank.

"Ring lock has disengaged," announced Peeta.

"That means the gate is powered," observed Eli. "Dial it up!"

Eli left the actual soldiers to handle the guards and assisted in moving the massive inner ring, bringing it to a stop at the first symbol.

"Chevron one is locked," announced Eli.

"They're getting louder," reported James.

"Chevron two locked," announced Eli.

"Okay, you can stop doing that," admonished James.

Around the time the fourth chevron engaged, James began to hear footsteps in the corridor.

"They're through!" she announced.

After thinking for a moment, James produced a small laser pistol from among her armaments and cauterized the control panel.

"Wish I'd thought of that," lamented Eli.

James instinctively took cover, certain that they planned to blow the door. The door blasted open just as the sixth chevron engaged. She continued firing upon the Peacekeepers as they filed through the door.

"Chevron seven locked!" called Eli.

"Get down!" yelled James.

A grenade came flying through the door, but was caught by the unstable vortex that emerged from the center of the ring, before settling into a shimmering puddle.

"Move out!" ordered Cray, and the Knights proceeded into the puddle.

James brought up the rear, firing upon the determined-but-foolish guards who continued pouring through the door. As she'd taken down what she thought were the last of them, she suddenly found herself on Destiny.

"Did we just drop out of FTL?" asked James.

"We did," confirmed Sgt. Greer.

Back on earth, Katniss found herself in unfamiliar surroundings. It didn't take long before realizing she needed to proceed through the puddle. Before she could do so, another line of troops made their way in. Knowing that hesitation meant certain death, she pulled the trigger and jumped backwards, taking out her assailants as she passed through the event horizon.

**End of Chapter Four**


	5. Seek and Ye Shall Find

Chapter V: Seek and Ye Shall Find

Though somehow she knew this shouldn't be possible, Katniss felt herself being decomposed into the particles that comprised her body. She then found herself speeding along a long, circuitous path through the stars in a a blue luminescent tunnel. She emerged at the other end in the same orientation and speed in which she'd been when she entered, landing on her back in the snow.

Before she could take in her surroundings, two more Peacekeepers emerged from the gate. Without hesitation, she opened fire, killing the two men before they could react. As soon as they went down, the gate shut down, and the wormhole vanished.

"Katniss," called Peeta, emerging from the trees off to the side.

"Peeta," she called back as he came to her side and helped her up.

"Lieutenant Scott," corrected the man in Peeta's skin. "But feel free to call me Matt."

"What happened Eli and James?" asked Katniss.

"I'll explain later," answered Scott. "We need to get off this rock, just in case they figure out how to dial the gate."

As Scott began dialing the gate, Effie Trinket came up to Katniss and offered her hand.

"Dr. Lisa Park," she introduced, yelling to be heard over the howling wind and blowing snow. "The blind lady."

"Oh," replied Katniss, shaking her hand. "Good to see you again."

"Good to see anybody," responded Lisa.

Just then, the gate established a connection.

"Wait," warned Lisa, stopping Katniss as she began to move forward. "It's been eight-hundred years since anyone we know has been to this planet. We need to make sure it's viable."

Sergeant Darius flew the reconnaissance drone through the gate, then handed Lisa the remote. The readout showed the ruins of a city, with mountains and green forests off in the distance.

"Looks promising," reported Lisa. "Atmosphere and temperature are good. Radiation's a little high, but well within acceptable limits. Can this thing test for biologics?"

Darius shook his head. "We'd normally send in a HAZMAT team to test for that."

"We're gonna have to risk it," declared Scott. "Let's move out."

As the Knights emerged from the gate on the other end, they began to survey the ruins. The city had obviously been attacked, but nature had long since begun to reclaim it, indicating that the battle had taken place long ago.

"Finding shelter shouldn't be too difficult," observed Katniss, her weapon pointed as she scanned the landscape for hostiles.

"I hear a river," added Lisa, "But we may need to head upstream to find uncontaminated water."

"Agreed," said Katniss. "It'll probably be easier for me to find supper for us, as well."

"You're not suggesting..." reacted Lisa.

"Hunting, yes," confirmed Katniss.

"I'm a vegetarian!" protested Lisa.

"Well, then let's hope you know what grows on this planet better than I do," responded Katniss.

After another hour or so of searching, they found an old masonry house on the edge of town, still more or less intact. As luck would have it, a number of trees grew on the lot, providing firewood.

"All right," announced Cray. "We'll put in for the night here. Darius, go with Dr. Park and see what kinds of plants you can find. Scott, if you wouldn't mind, go with Katniss and see what kind of game you can shoot. I want radio check-ins every thirty minutes. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir," responded Scott and Darius.

Katniss and Scott explored for a bit before finding what appeared to be an old transit map. It had faded considerably, but still showed the man roads and rivers.

"What do you think?" asked Scott.

"We could follow this highway into the foothills," answered Katniss, "But that wouldn't provide much cover if there are any hostiles we managed to miss. Following this tributary would probably be a better bet."

"Agreed," said Scott. "Let's move."

Katniss took point, and Scott kept pace quite handily. This seemed strange, since the lieutenant currently occupied Peeta's body. In his own skin, Peeta would've been a liability on a hunt. This, of course, got her thinking about the Games again, a thought she'd managed to avoid for almost a whole day.

Any such thoughts moved to the back of her mind as both she and Scott heard movement. As they took cover, a slender creature, standing on four long legs, with a long snout, antennae, and compound eyes, appeared. Without hesitation, Katniss lined up the shot, and pulled the trigger.

The shot rang out through the woods, and the creature escaped unscathed.

"Dammit," cursed Katniss.

"What happened?" asked Scott.

"I keep forgetting how much kick these things have," replied Katniss.

Scott figured out the problem. "You've never been hunting with a rifle, have you?"

"No," answered Katniss. "Just a bow."

"Then the kick's not your problem," explained Scott. "A bullet travels a lot faster than an arrow. You just need to aim lower and compensate less for wind resistance."

"Okay," agreed Katniss. "I think I can handle that."

After taking a few practice shots, Scott decided that while Katniss wasn't exactly ready to qualify on the M4 carbine (or whatever weapon this was), she could probably pick off a deer or two. Proceeding deeper into the woods, they discovered another one of these creatures. Lying in a prone position, Katniss lined up her shot. When the creature's antennae perked up, she seized the moment and planted a good head-shot.

Considering that this would feed the entire camp for days, and was as much as Scott wanted to carry, they decided to call it day, with Katniss filling the water bag before they headed back. When they returned, Lisa and Darius had found an abundance of edible plants, meaning the Knights of Destiny would have a feast that night.

"Outstanding!" approved Cray as the table was being set.

"All we need now is some of Ripper's hooch," added Haymitch.

"Not for me," said Katniss. "I get tipsy from half a glass of wine."

Everyone laughed, and proceeded to dig into their food. Once dinner was finished, even though it was still early, this world's sun had gone down, and many were exhausted. Thus, most people decided to turn in for the evening. Katniss, not feeling particularly sleepy, volunteered to keep watch. About an hour into her shift, she had a visitor.

"Darius?" she asked.

"Not quite," he replied. Katniss immediately recognized the man's smile.

"Eli!" she greeted enthusiastically. "What happened to you earlier?"

"Connection got disrupted," answered Eli. "Happens whenever we drop out of or into FTL."

"Did something go wrong?"

"No, not at all. Actually, things went really right. The ship detected a planet within range. We checked it out, and we found a ton of edibles. We haven't had this good of a haul since..."

"Before you went into stasis?" guessed Katniss.

"Yeah," Eli said sorrowfully.

"You blame yourself," observed Katniss.

"That obvious?"

Katniss nodded.

"The journey between galaxies was only supposed to last three years," explained Eli. "I had it calculated down to the last joule. But like I said, it took me until the last minute to fix my stasis pod. Maybe I miscalculated, or maybe I took just a minute too long. Either way, we ran out of juice just short of the mark, and drifted for the next eight-hundred years until Destiny found a star to recharge."

"Maybe you did make a mistake," granted Katniss, "But everyone got through it alive, and Destiny is still flying. That's the important thing."

"That's what they keep telling me," said Eli. "But it doesn't change the fact that none of us will ever see our loved ones again."

"You got a chance to say goodbye, didn't you?"

Eli nodded. "Yeah, we all got one last trip with the stones before we went in."

"My father died four years ago in a mine explosion," revealed Katniss. "And I would give anything to have that chance. Don't take it lightly."

"I never really knew my dad," stated Eli. "The one I left behind was my mom. And I'll never know what happened to her."

"What was the last thing she said to you?"

Eli started choking up. "She said...that it was enough for her, to know that I was happy."

"I'm sure everyone else's loved ones felt the same way. They've obviously made their peace with it. You don't need to torture yourself anymore."

Eli sighed. "Yeah."

After a few moments of awkward silence, Eli proposed a subject change.

"You know, you can always tell when a planet is Goa'uld terraformed," said Eli.

"Let me guess," ventured Katniss. "They all have the exact same pine forest?"

Eli laughed. "Exactly."

"We even had some sort of deer for dinner," elaborated Katniss.

"Yeah, every planet seems to have its own version," noted Eli.

Katniss paused for a moment.

"What's wrong?" asked Eli.

"I just started thinking about the Games," answered Katniss. "It's depressing how I can travel halfway across the galaxy and still find a place that reminds me of the arena."

"I'm sorry," sympathized Eli. "I don't really have any sort of frame of reference for that."

"I truly hope you never do," wished Katniss.

"I'll tell you what, though" said Eli, drawing her closer and pointing to the sky. "I'll bet the arena didn't have anything like that."

Katniss' mouth fell open in awe of the spectacular sight of the planet's second moon rising. It appeared either much larger, or perhaps much closer that earth's moon. It also bore wispy cloud formations, indicating an atmosphere of it's own.

"I've heard old stories that men have walked on the moon," noted Katniss. "Is it true?"

"It's true," confirmed Eli. "There are people aboard Destiny who saw it on television when it happened."

"That, I would actually watch."

Eli smiled. "Me too."

The next morning, the Knights broke camp and headed back through the Stargate. Once on the other side, they set up camp once again, and prepared to dial their next destination.

"All right, listen up," said Colonel Young, speaking through Cinna. "We're going to attempt to contact the Langarans. For reasons I won't get into, our last contact with them did not go well. However, as they say, time heals all wounds, so I'm hoping they'll still be willing to help us. Nevertheless, it would be best if you all established contact on your own. You can bring us in once the olive branch has been accepted. This planet's gate has an iris installed, so you'll have to communicate by radio first. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir," the Peacekeepers in the group responded, complementing various displays of assent throughout the group.

"Shut it off," instructed Young. Cray flipped the switch, and Cinna returned to his own body.

"Dial it up," ordered Cray. Cinna entered the symbols he'd just been shown, and the gate once again sprang to life.

"Would you do the honors?" requested Cray, handing the mic to Katniss.

"Me?" Katniss asked incredulously.

"You're the face of the resistance," said Cray. "They should hear from you first."

"Um, okay," Katniss accepted reluctantly, keying the mic. "Langara, this Katniss Everdeen of the Tau'ri. Do you copy?"

Katniss repeated the message several more times as the tech adjusted the frequency. Just as they were about give up, a signal came through.

"This is Captain Ulf Grenyak of the Langaran Planetary Guard. State your business."

"We've come from the planet earth, and request an audience with your governing authorities," requested Katniss.

"I'll see what I can do. Grenyak, out."

"So what now?" asked Katniss after the gate shut down.

"We wait," instructed Cray.

Several hours passed, and Cray prepared to contact Destiny to discuss other options when the gate activated. When the connection established, a signal came over the radio.

"Tau'ri delegation, this is Langara," said Grenyak's voice. "Stand by to receive your escort."

The Knights stood back as a squad emerged from the gate, clad in hunter green fatigues and body armor, with matching utility covers, much like the SG teams of old.

"I'll take two of you," the squad leader announced. "Unarmed."

"Katniss, Peeta," assigned Cray. "You're up."

Not sure why he'd been picked, Peeta took his place at Katniss' side as the soldiers dial the gate and escorted them through.

Meanwhile, on earth, President Snow's extremely nervous military liaison met with him to give the report on the incident at Peacekeeper Command.

"You say the security footage had been altered?" asked Snow.

"Yes, sir," reported the officer. "Evidently by the General himself. However, we were able to restore the original footage."

Snow watched intently as the entire scenario played out before him. Though the General's accomplices appeared to be ordinary Peacekeepers, one of them looked strangely figure.

"Pause it," ordered Snow, pointing at a female Peacekeeper. "Can you enhance that?"

The officer zoomed in on the face and ran it through a few filters.

"I'm sorry, sir," apologized the officer. "That's the best I can do."

Though the face itself was unidentifiable, Snow knew her silhouette. He had burned into brain the image of the girl from the 74th Hunger Games who had dared to defy.

"That," he growled, "is Katniss Everdeen."

"Begging your pardon, sir," responded the officer. "But isn't she dead?"

"So I thought," said Snow. "I should have known she'd find some way to slip through my fingers."

"Sir?"

"What of Miss Everdeen's mother and sister?" inquired Snow.

"We've lost track of them, sir," reported the officer. "We can't find Gale Hawthorne, either. We think Colonel Cray may have helped them to escape."

Snow slammed his fist on the desk in anger.

"Shall I leave, sir?" asked the officer, more begging to be dismissed than asking the President's bidding.

Snow took a moment to compose himself, then gave his orders.

"Assemble a task force," ordered Snow. "Include only those you're certain you can trust. Find out everything you can about the device, and figure out how to activate it. Find them, and bring the General, Katniss Everdeen and Colonel Cray to me: alive, if possible; dead, if necessary."

"And the others, sir?"

"Kill them."

**End of Chapter Five**


	6. Langara

Chapter VI: Langara

Having been given a thorough inspection by Langaran authorities, Katniss and Peeta found themselves in a luxuriously-appointed waiting room, sitting in oversized leather chairs worthy of President Snow's most trusted underlings. In fact, many things about the Langaran capital of Kelowna City reminded her of the Capitol.

And yet, many things had not. On the drive in from the Stargate facility, she had seen shops, parks, office buildings, and many houses. While she considered all of them quite nice, some had been rather modest by Capitol standards. She wondered if perhaps the common folk on this planet actually enjoyed a decent standard of living.

Any further questions had to be tabled, however, as the time had come.

"Minister Semel will see you now," announced the attractive blonde receptionist, escorting them to a large office at the end of a short corridor.

As they took their seats, Katniss surveyed the large office. Stacks of papers, folders, and boxes offset the luxuriousness of the fine wooden office furniture. She took the disarray of the office as a sign that its occupant might be an actual human being. Before she could consider it any further, their host, a tall, stout fellow with bushy hair and a full, gray beard, arrived.

"You must be our delegation from earth," greeted the Minister, shaking their hands.

"I'm Katniss Everdeen," she introduced, "And this is Peeta Mellark."

"Len Semel," replied the Minister. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

The only person of any great importance Katniss had ever met had been President Snow. Minister Semel certainly wielded just as much power (if not more). And yet, the two men couldn't have been more different. Snow was always meticulously-coiffed, whereas Semel seemed to struggle with basic grooming. Snow was always elegantly dressed, while Semel wore a simple vest over a shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Snow tried in vain to be charming and charismatic, whereas Semel's friendly demeanor was genuine. And while Snow had reeked of blood and roses, Semel smelled of coffee and cigarettes, indicating nothing more sinister than being a workaholic.

"I have to admit," continued Semel, "I didn't believe my Foreign Secretary when he told me that the Tau'ri had contacted us. We've not heard from your planet in almost eight centuries, nor have we been able to make a gate connection. There was considerable doubt as to whether it still harbored any civilization to speak of."

"We're not sure ourselves what actually happened," said Peeta.

"On that," replied Semel, "I can fill you in. The Lucian Alliance began as a criminal organization, taking advantage of some recently-abandoned Goa'uld military hardware. Over the next few years, however, they became more organized, and thus more powerful. Eventually, the only thing that stood in their way of galactic domination was the Tau'ri.

"We were able to resist the Alliance through the use of a surface-to-orbit defense system the Tau'ri had helped us develop. For the Tau'ri, however, it was too late. Since the Alliance knew that someone among the Tau'ri would eventually rise up against them, conquest was out of the question. Thus, they committed the bulk of their fleet to the annihilation of the Tau'ri. But obviously, civilization has risen from the ruins."

"For certain definition of 'civilization'", commented Katniss.

"Please explain."

"Minister," revealed Katniss. "Despite wearing the uniforms of our planet's military, we do not speak for the government. We've turned against them, and I'm sure they're making plans even now to hunt us down and kill us."

"I should hope you'd have a very good reason for doing such a thing."

Katniss nodded. "Peeta and are the victors – though 'survivors' might be more appropriate – of an event called The Hunger Games. Twenty-four young adults are chosen every year to fight in the games. Using our wits, skills, and a healthy dose of good luck, Peeta and I managed to survive. We're not proud of what we did, but we never killed anyone who wasn't trying to kill us, and we knew we had to win.

"You see, what the Capitol has been doing in the games is a symbol of what they're doing to the rest of the country. People are dying of disease and starvation, being killed for petty crimes or even just thinking for themselves, and sending everything they produce to the Capitol, receiving next-to-nothing in return."

"I think I understand," responded Semel, clearly shocked by the things he'd heard. "So then, are you requesting asylum?"

"No, Minister," declared Katniss. "We're requesting your help in restoring freedom to our world."

"This is no small request," noted Semel. "And you must realize, we don't have a fleet that we can commit to an invasion. Though we've made significant advances, and sent slow ships to several neighboring stars, the secrets of hyperdrive remain hidden from us. Our only means of long-range travel is the Stargate."

"I understand," said Katniss. "We'd be grateful for any assistance you could give, no matter how small. If you'd be willing to talk to our allies aboard Destiny, I'm sure we can work something out."

Semel's ears perked up. "Destiny still flies?"

Peeta nodded. "With the original crew. They just came out of stasis a few months ago."

"You have the communications stones?"

"Not on us, no," answered Katniss. "The leader of our expedition has them."

Semel activate the communications panel on his desk.

"Miss Ganet," he called to his secretary.

"Yes, Minister?"

"Make arrangements to bring the rest of the Tau'ri delegation through the Stargate. See that they're well-accommodated."

"Right away, Minister," obeyed the secretary.

Semel turned to Katniss and Peeta. "We would not be here today if not for the Tau'ri. Your people have saved us from the Goa'uld, the Ori, and ourselves. We will assist in any way we can, however small."

"Thank you, Minister," said Katniss.

"Miss Ganet will see you out," concluded the Minister. "Good luck."

Having no idea why he'd been summoned to Camille Wray's quarters, Eli tentatively knocked on the door, which opened to reveal an uncharacteristic smile on Camille's face.

"Surprise!" greeted Camille, drawing a quizzical look from Eli.

"Oh, pardon me," she explained. "It's me, Katniss."

"Katniss!" exclaimed Eli, throwing his arms around her. "This is a surprise. What are you doing here?"

"Camille needed to talk with some of the Langaran officials," explained Katniss, "So I've got a couple of hours on board. That is, of course, unless you're busy."

"Oh, no, not all," said Eli. "My shift just ended, actually. So, what do you wanna do?"

"That depends. What is there to do around here?"

"Doesn't have to be anything fancy. We could just watch a movie."

"A movie?"

"Yeah, you know: a fictional narrative."

Katniss had seen such things on television, but they were so contrived and propaganda-laden that she normally didn't bother with them. She decided, however, that seeing a movie from Eli's time might just give her a glimpse into the way things used to be.

"Sure," she agreed. "Sounds great."

"Hang on, I'll be right back."

Eli returned a few minutes later with the laptop that contained all of the community's media files.

"Okay, which of these haven't I seen a hundred times," said Eli as he scrolled through the list. "Hmm, you might like _Major League_."

"Yeah, that sounds great," responded Katniss, having no idea what to expect.

Katniss and Eli took a seat on the couch just as the movie started, playing a song over various scenes from a sleepy industrial city. When the song had concluded, a woman remarkably similar to Effie Trinket came on the screen, meeting with a bunch of suits in a meeting room rivaling anything the Capitol had to offer. Katniss wasn't sure she'd like this movie, but decided to keep an open mind.

Over the course of the movie, Katniss began to pick up on the rules of this game they called baseball. She also laughed at the announcer Harry Doyle, who, despite having a job title similar to that of Caesar Flickerman, acted like a more colorful version of Colonel Cray. Similar was Jake Taylor, who reminded her a good deal of Haymitch.

The story of a team that nobody had picked to win surmounting near-impossible odds to rise to the top of their game resonated deeply with Katniss. The final game came right down to the last play, and the Cleveland Indians won it. Jake Taylor reunited with his lost love, the thrill of victory was palpable all around, and the spirit of competition had driven everyone involved to be the best they could be.

And nobody died. Not a single participant fell. Even though the New York Yankees went home defeated, they still went home. They could return to their wives and children, with food on their tables, and the satisfaction of a job well-done. Katniss had no doubt that this was competition as it was always meant to be, and that the Hunger Games were a perversion of pure games such as this.

She and Eli found themselves equally surprised that a baseball movie had moved her to tears. She offered no resistance when Eli drew her closer, kissing the top of her head.

"Are you okay?" he asked after a few moments' silence.

"Yeah," responded Katniss. "I don't think I've ever been this okay."

"I'm glad I could be here for you."

"Me too."

The time came for Katniss to return to her own body and galaxy. Eli escorted her back to the communications room, where he would bid her goodnight.

"Well, I dunno about you," declared Eli, "But I'm whupped."

"Oh, me too," agreed Katniss. "Going from mid-morning at the ruins, to early evening on P3X-whatever, to just after dawn on Langara has played hell with my rhythms."

"Ah, that would be a common and well-document phenomenon known as 'gate-lag'," informed Eli. "On that note, I will let you get some sleep."

"I had a really good time tonight," said Katniss.

"I'm glad," said Eli.

Katniss planted a kiss on Eli's cheek before taking a seat and allowing him to switch the device off. When Camille returned to her own body, she looked decidedly agitated.

"Get Colonel Young," she commanded.

"What was so important that it couldn't wait until morning?" grumbled Young as he, Camille, and Eli met in their usual spot.

"I talked at length with the Langaran officials. After the Lucian Alliance leveled earth, the Free Jaffa and the Tok'ra agreed that they needed to be stopped. They banded together, and wiped out the Alliance. After that, it seems they decided giving normal humans hyperspace capability wasn't such a good idea, so the Langarans have had very little contact with them."

"Doesn't sound promising so far," observed Young.

"There are a few bright spots," continued Camille. "What little dealings the Langarans have had with the Jaffa have been with a group that calls themselves the Clan of Rya'c. They're only clan known to be sympathetic to humans."

"Rya'c was the son of Teal'c," observed Young. "If anyone's willing to help us, they're our best chance. What else?"

"At the time of the invasion, there were seven _Daedalus-_class ships. Six of them were confirmed destroyed. One of them, however, was believed to have escaped."

"The _Odyssey_," said Young.

"And you know this how?" asked Eli.

"The _Odyssey _carried a computer core containing all the knowledge of the Asgard," explained Young. "In the event that earth was lost, the contingency plan was for the _Odyssey _to run and hide, both to preserve the legacy of the Asgard, and to keep it from falling into enemy hands."

"So you know where _Odyssey _is?" asked Eli.

"Not specifically," answered Young. "But I do know where the clues will be hidden."

"I would assume that the ship would be hidden somewhere without easy access to a Stargate," said Camille.

"That would be correct, yes," confirmed Young, "Which is why we need to find the _Odyssey, _and we're going to need the help of the Jaffa to do it."

**End of Chapter Six**


	7. The Clan of Rya'c

Chapter VII: The Clan of Rya'c

The Stargate on P4K-118 activated, whence emerged Major Gaius Travis and his six-man Peacekeeper Special Forces unit. Immediately, his men spread out and began to secure the area.

"Doubt we'll find any footprints," reported Lieutenant Trajan Ellerby, Travis' second-in-command, as most of the snow had melted recently, leaving only mud.

"We won't find them here," said Travis. "They've almost certainly doubled back to the gate and headed somewhere else."

"Sir," called one of the ratings. "You wanna see this."

Travis and Ellerby made their way over to the sergeant's position, where they found a body in the early stages of decomposition.

"The General," observed Ellerby.

"Medic!" called Travis.

"Got a nasty head-wound," diagnosed the medic. "Didn't kill him, though. Looks like he bled out."

"Bastards turned him over to their side then double-crossed him," growled Ellerby.

"I wouldn't be so sure," argued Travis. "Take a look at this."

Travis pointed to the knife in the General's hand, then to a set of carvings in a nearby tree.

"Looks like he got a good look at where they were going," elaborated Travis.

"There's only five symbols, sir," argued Ellerby. "The address that got us here had seven."

"Yeah," granted Travis. "That's one-thousand, four-hundred and forty-four combinations instead of millions. Start dialing!"

"Yes, sir," obeyed Ellerby.

Haymitch Abernathy resisted the urge to throw up as the Knights and the Langaran forces geared up for their next journey through the Stargate.

"Are you okay?" asked Katniss, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You don't have to baby me, Sweetheart," responded Haymitch. "I'm a big boy."

"I'm guessing you managed to find the bar," surmised Katniss.

"A few of them, actually," confirmed Haymitch. "I should go out on the town on the government's coin more often."

"Yeah, well I doubt they have any booze where we're going," speculated Katniss.

"Not a problem," declared Haymitch, patting a flask attached to his flack-vest. "Got my emergency rations right here."

Katniss sighed, and decided to see how Effie was doing.

"Do we really need all of this?" questioned Effie. "Is this not meant to be a diplomatic mission?"

"From what Colonel Young tells me, the Jaffa won't give the time of day to anyone unless they're armed to the teeth," explained Katniss.

"And they have some sort of...snake... in their bellies?"

"Tok'ra symbiotes aren't snakes; they're aquatic," corrected Katniss. "The Jaffa incubate their young."

"It all sounds positively ghastly!" reviled Effie.

"Well, I think if we're going to get through this, we need to keep an open mind," admonished Katniss.

Effie sighed. "You're right. You're absolutely right."

Katniss went to check on Peeta, who had finished gearing up, and was inspecting his weapon, a small energy weapon shaped like a snake.

"What are these things called again? Zap-mickey's?" asked Peeta.

Katniss laughed. "Zat'nik'tel. Most people just call them 'zats'."

"See if I remember: One shot stuns; two shots kill."

"Correct."

"I still don't get why the Langarans won't let us carry rifles," grumbled Peeta.

"They don't want us provoking the Jaffa unnecessarily," explained Katniss.

"Hah! They're probably just scared that we'll shoot them by accident," speculated Peeta.

"A reasonable precaution, in your case, " taunted Katniss.

"So tell me again why we're taking Effie along," asked Peeta.

"From her perspective, she's taking a huge leap of faith going along with this whole thing," explained Katniss. "So we owe it to her to put all of our cards on the table."

Peeta shook his head. "If you say so."

A short while later, the expedition, led by the Langaran officer Colonel Kalis, gathered in the Embarkation Room, where a defense team stood ready in case somebody dialed in before they could dial out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a simple diplomatic contact," announced Kalis. "We do this by the numbers. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," answered all of the military personnel.

"Dial it up," ordered Kalis.

A technician in a sequestered room operated the DHD, and the gate came to life.

"Move out!" ordered Kalis, prompting the expedition to begin moving through the gate.

Katniss and Haymitch brought up the rear, with the latter clutching his stomach as he approached the event horizon.

"Ugh," moaned Haymitch. "I don't think I'm up for this."

"Let's just take this nice and slow," encouraged Katniss, guiding Haymitch through the puddle.

Haymitch found this particular wormhole to be especially fast and twisty. The sensation still fresh in his consciousness when his inner ear rematerialized, he stepped out of the puddle and immediately clutched over and emptied the contents of his stomach.

"Whoa, easy there, fella!" reacted Katniss, concentrating assisting Haymitch, and trying to ignore the fact that he'd vomited on her boots.

"Set up base camp," ordered Kalis. "We'll radio back in one hour."

A few soldiers stayed behind to set up base camp, and the rest of the party followed Travis along a well-trodden path into the woods.

"I hope Kalis knows where to find these Jaffa," said Haymitch.

"He says they'll find us," replied Katniss.

Surely enough, a few minutes later, the expedition found their way into a small clearing and stopped at the sound of energy weapons powering up.

"Drop your weapons!" ordered a voice from the woods. As ordered, the party laid down their weapons and placed their hands behind their heads. They found themselves surrounded by a group of large, intimidating soldiers clad in metal armor, holding them at bay with large staffs tipped with arrowhead-shaped devices.

"State your business or die," commanded the Jaffa commander.

"You're up," said Kalis to Katniss.

"I'm Katniss Everdeen of the Tau'ri," introduced Katniss. "We'd like to speak to your leader."

"Impossible," argued the commander. "The Tau'ri are extinct."

"We came pretty close, from what I understand," countered Katniss. "But we survived."

"Even so," said the commander. "After all this time, what has the Tau'ri to do with us?"

Katniss dropped her hands to her side and approached the commander, staff weapons trained on her as she did so.

"I would really prefer to discuss that with your leader," she requested, quietly, but firmly.

"You're not afraid of me," observed the commander.

"I was forced by my planet's rulers along with twenty-three others, many of whom were trained warriors, to engage in mortal combat," recounted Katniss. "Only two are still alive. One stands before you now; the other stands directly behind me."

"And you think this makes you a match for us?"

Katniss came dangerously close to the commander's face.

"My rulers want me dead. I escaped their clutches and subverted their best defenses to get here. The only way I live to see another day is to look death in the face."

"You are either very brave," observed the commander. "Or very stupid."

"One doesn't survive in a rigged game with people trying to kill her by being stupid."

The commander disengaged his staff weapon and held it as a walking stick.

"I will arrange an audience with Mon'ac," agreed the commander. "I cannot promise that he will agree to your requests, but he will at least hear what you have to say."

"Th-" began Peeta before a Langaran covered his mouth.

"You do not _ever _say 'thank you' to a Jaffa," muttered the Langaran.

The commander led the expedition into a small village. At least in Katniss' estimation, their lifestyle seemed rather primitive for a space-faring culture. Nevertheless, rather than languishing from starvation and exposure, the Jaffa seemed genuinely happy in their modest lifestyle. Finally, the commander made the rest of the party wait outside while he escorted Katniss into one of the larger tents.

"Master Mon'ac," announced the commander. "I present Katniss Everdeen of the Tau'ri."

An ancient, silver-haired man with a long beard arose from his seat, taking his staff weapon in his hand to steady himself.

"The Tau'ri?" echoed the old master in disbelief. "Can it be true?"

"It's true," confirmed Katniss. "We've been through a lot, but we're still here."

"Remarkable," marveled Mon'ac. "And you came through the Chappa'ai?"

"Seeing as we have no ships, it was pretty much the only way," said Katniss. "It was buried for many years. We only recently found it."

"I understand you stared down one of my fiercest warriors unarmed."

"I needed to speak to you," explained Katniss. "And I couldn't take no for an answer."

"Come," invited Mon'ac. "Let us eat and drink, and I will hear your request."

Over supper, Katniss, Peeta, and a few others explained the situation back on earth.

"Your lot is most dire," acknowledged Mon'ac. "And I admire your cunning in escaping. However, I still do not understand what you ask of me."

"Since casting off the yoke of the Goa'uld," said Katniss, "The Jaffa have always stood for freedom. Now we ask only that you help our people stand up for their own freedom."

"We support your resolve," said Mon'ac. "However, in ages past, the Jaffa were forced to participate in the conquest of many worlds. We will not do so again, however just the cause."

"You won't need to," argued Colonel Cray. "Our government is weak; maintains power only by suppressing the will of its people."

"Indeed," agreed Mon'ac. "They are not unlike the Goa'uld in this regard."

"Precisely," said Cray. "And like the Goa'uld, their power can easily be broken once we show the people that the real power is theirs."

"And how do you propose to do this?"

Cray nodded to Katniss. "There's a ship," explained Katniss. "Hidden away for us by our ancestors for just such an occasion. It's a powerful weapons platform."

"All the more reason why I should be reluctant to help you obtain it," argued Mon'ac.

"Believe me," added Colonel Kalis, "It won't stand up to the full force of the Jaffa, but it will be more than enough for the Tau'ri to turn the tide against the oppression on their world."

"We ask only that you help us reclaim what is rightfully ours," added Peeta.

Mon'ac nodded. "Very well. One ship."

"One ship?" reacted Haymitch. "How in the hell are we supposed to-"

"One ship it is," agreed Katniss, cutting Haymitch off.

Later that evening, Katniss sat alone around a campfire, long after the Jaffa (and everyone else, for that matter,) had gone to bed. Thus, she was surprised when Peeta paid her a visit.

"It's Eli," he announced. "Peeta's being briefed on the clues we need to find _Odyssey_."

"You again?" asked Katniss.

Eli snorted. "Nice to see you, too."

"No, no, that's not what I meant!" defended Katniss. "I just thought other people aboard Destiny might want to visit."

"Oh, believe me, they're clamoring for their time on the stones," said Eli. "But for this operation, Colonel Young wants to involve as few of us as possible."

"In case this whole thing goes tits up," guess Katniss.

Eli snickered. "Who taught you that?"

Katniss chuckled. "Dr. Rush."

"Figures," said Eli. "But yeah, that's why."

"Can't say as how I blame him," understood Katniss. "There's still a good chance we'll all end up dead."

"Nature of the beast, I'm afraid," lamented Eli.

Katniss nodded. "Killing people never gets any easier."

"I wouldn't know," declared Eli.

"You've never killed anyone?" asked Katniss.

"I've fired shots at ships," clarified Eli. "But no, I've never actually raised my hand against a fellow sentient being."

"I hope you never have to," wished Katniss.

"Me too," agreed Eli. "Colonel Young says no matter who you are, killing someone fundamentally changes you."

"He's right," confirmed Katniss. "Even if we win this somehow, I'll never be the same as I was before the Games."

"Well," consoled Eli. "If it makes you feel any better, I kinda like who you are now."

"It does," accepted Katniss. "It really does."

"So, assuming we do manage to pull this off," asked Eli, changing the subject. "What do you plan on doing next?"

"Oh gosh," answered Katniss. "I honestly have no idea."

"Ever thought about coming aboard Destiny?" mused Eli.

"Is that even possible?"

"Sure, it's possible," answered Eli. "Expensive, impractical, and improbable, but certainly possible. And who knows? Maybe if we pull this off, the Langarans might let us use their planet core to power the Stargate after all."

"Then we could get you some spare parts," envisioned Katniss.

"And food," added Eli, "And some new faces. Maybe some new books and music."

"And just think: We'd be able to see each other's faces at the same time."

"Now that would be awesome."

At that moment, Katniss looked into his eyes, and realized she no longer saw Peeta's face, but Eli's. His innocence, intelligence, humility, and kindheartedness translated across the universe and reflected in his eyes. It seemed perfectly natural that her eyes should close of their own accord, and that her lips should touch his.

Katniss spent the next few moments lost in Eli's embrace, when the blessed illusion finally wore off, and she realized that she was once again kissing Peeta. Embarrassed, she turned away.

"I'm sorry," apologized Eli, not looking her in the eye.

"Don't be," responded Katniss, also looking away. "It's just..."

"I know," acknowledged Eli. "I should probably go."

"That's a good idea."

"Good night, then."

"Good night."

In the abandoned city, Major Travis and his team found the old masonry house at the edge of town.

"They covered their tracks pretty well," reported Ellerby. "But they were definitely here."

Travis nodded. "Let's figure out where they went next."

"I think I may have a lead on that, sir," reported one of the sergeants. "We found some sort of residue on the dialing device. Looks like deer grease."

"Can you determine a gate address from that?" asked Travis.

"Yes, sir," confirmed the sergeant.

"Excellent," approved Travis. "Let's move out."

**End of Chapter Seven**


	8. The Hunt

Chapter VIII: The Hunt

"Gilmore, this is Ellerby? Do you copy?" called the lieutenant for the fifteenth time as his team waited at the Stargate for the go-ahead.

Despite the recon probe returning only static, Travis had decided to send a man through anyway. This had obviously been a mistake, as there was clearly something blocking receiving gate. Finally, after a little more than half an hour, the gate shut down on its own.

"Looks like the trail's gone cold, sir," observed Ellerby.

"Maybe," said Travis. "But that last clue was less than subtle."

Travis referred, of course, to the partial boot-print in which large pebbles were arranged as the symbols would appear in their relative positions on the dialing device.

"Either we've got a man on the inside," deduced Travis, "Or they're trying to throw us off the scent. Either way, we're close."

"So what now?" asked Ellerby.

"Let's head back to the ruins," proposed Travis. "That gate appeared to be located in some sort of travel depot. We might be able to find some additional gate addresses there."

"And then what?"

"These gates didn't build themselves, Ellerby," observed Travis. "There has to be someone else out here. Let's talk to the locals and see what we can find out."

The Knights of Destiny arrived together with their Langaran companions at the first stop on their quest: a desolate planet where fierce winds blew and dark clouds blocked out the sun. Only the charred remains of a forest indicated that life had ever existed here.

"What is this place?" asked Katniss.

"Cimmeria," responded Colonel Young, occupying the body of one of the Langarans. "It's where we first encountered the Asgard."

"And why couldn't we bring the Jaffa, again?" asked Colonel Cray.

"That," explained Young, pointing to the ruins of a large monument laying on the ground. "Is Thor's Hammer. It'll transport anything with a symbiote to an underground labyrinth. It doesn't appear to be functioning now, but we can't be certain if any of the other booby-traps are still working."

"What happened here?" asked Katniss.

"The Ori," answered Young. "When they continued to believe in the old Norse gods, the Priors wiped them out."

Gods. Katniss had heard legends that people once believed in such things, but she'd never given it much thought herself.

"And we're looking for the entrance to this labyrinth?" asked Peeta.

"More specifically, the exit," clarified Young. "Let's move out."

After a grueling trek along derelict irrigation channels into the mountains, the party located the archway. After searching the inner corridor for almost an hour, Peeta found a loose brick. Inside was a small metal plate with six symbols engraved in it.

"Good work, Mr. Mellark," congratulated Young.

"Is this where we'll find the _Odyssey_?" asked Peeta.

"No," said Young. "This is the first set of coordinates. We need five more."

"So where to next?" asked Haymitch.

"P3X-774," answered Young. "Where we first encountered the Nox."

After stopping for the night back at the Jaffa camp, the party set out once again for Gaia.

"Listen up," addressed Young as they prepared to embark through the gate. "The Nox may very well still be around, but as long as we don't show any signs of aggression, they won't bother us. In fact, it's very likely we won't see them at all. That said, it is absolutely imperative that we carry no weapons of any kind. So if you have any – guns, knives, poison darts, even a ballpoint pen is a liability – I ask that you leave it behind now."

After a moment's silence, Effie Trinket slowly began removing a variety of concealed armaments from her outfit, eliciting a stunned look from Katniss.

"I don't like fighting," explained Effie. "That doesn't mean I don't know how."

"Very good," approved Young. "If that is all, we can proceed. Dial it up."

Following SG-1's mission report to the letter, Young and his party found the clearing where the cabin had once stood. After a good deal of digging, the group found the plate with the second gate address. Having found their quarry with incredible ease, they headed back through the gate.

As soon as the entire party had emerged from the gate, a faint rustling came from the woods, followed by the clicks of weapons cocking.

"Freeze!" called Major Travis' voice.

Young and company placed their hands in the air as they found themselves surrounded by Peacekeepers. They then allowed several of Travis' men to inspect their persons.

"They're unarmed," reported a sergeant. "Just like our contact said."

"So," said Travis, sizing up his prisoners. "These are the famed Knights of Destiny." He then walked over to Katniss. "And of course, the lovely Katniss Everdeen, the so-called 'Girl on Fire'."

Katniss said nothing, but attempted to burn holes in him with her eyes.

"Needless to say," announced Travis, "You're all under arrest. You will be taken back to earth, and you will be executed in a public ceremony, during which the Stargate will be demonstrated for all of Panem to see, before being buried for good inside of a concrete slab, as message to all that even halfway across the galaxy, you cannot escape the reach of the Capitol."

Just then, a faint rustling could be heard in the bushes.

Young smiled. "Big mistake."

Young and Co. hit the deck as rapid fire rang out from the the Peacekeepers' weapons, only to be silenced as they were taken down one-by-one by staff weapon and zat fire.

"Rise and shine," taunted one of the Langarans as he roused Travis and Ellerby with a bucket of cold water. "I'm Master Sergeant Ronald Greer, and I'll be your interrogator this evening. I'd ask if you'd like something to drink, but I reckon I've already seen to that."

"You won't get anything out of me," declared Travis.

"Is that so?" responded Greer. "Are you really willing to die for that piece of shit President Snow?"

"You show some respect, soldier!"

With that, the Jaffa held a Goa'uld zapper up to his chin and gave him a jolt.

"You go ahead and kill me," dared Travis. "When we don't report back, they'll send reinforcements. They'll send the whole damn Peacekeeper Corps if they have to, but sooner or later, they'll drag your worthless asses back to earth so you can swing from the gallows like the degenerates you are!"

"See, you've already given something up," noted Greer. "The fact that you can report back tells me you have the gate address to earth. Who gave it to you?"

"Eat shit and die!"

The Jaffa moved to shock him again, when Greer motioned for him not to.

"Now, now," chided Greer, "There's no need to be rude to our guests."

Greer turned back to his prisoners.

"As for you, there's one thing you fail to consider: I, too, have the gate address for earth. So the way I see it, I'm not gonna kill you. The real shame of it is, I won't get to see what Snow does to you when I send you back to earth, having failed _miserably _to accomplish your mission objective."

Ellerby gulped.

"Is there something you'd like to add, Lieutenant?" asked Greer.

"We found this shopkeeper," blurted Ellerby.

"Shut your hole, Ellerby!" ordered Travis.

"For god's sake, Gaius!" pleaded Ellerby. "Do you really think Snow is gonna pin medals on our chests when we get back? You and I both know he's gonna bury the Stargate and everybody who knows about it, and claim personal credit for capturing Katniss."

"Go on," prompted Greer.

"The shopkeeper didn't do anything wrong," continued Ellerby. "We told him we were looking for earth. We didn't say where we were from. He said he didn't think we'd find earth, but that we were welcome to try, and gave us the gate address. He also said if people from earth really were out there, they'd probably be looking for the Clan of Rya'c."

"That explains how you found us," said Greer, "But how exactly did you figure out how to dial the gate in the first place?"

"The General replaced the security feeds," answered Ellerby. "But we were able to restore them. We connected the Stargate to a larger power source, then replicated the dialing sequence we saw in the videos. One of your people obviously shot the General, but apparently he wasn't quite dead. He managed to carve five gate symbols into a tree before he died. We got lucky and figured out the sixth on our own. Once we got to the ruins, we found out someone was leaving us clues."

"Who?" asked Greer.

"We don't know," answered Ellerby. "Maybe there's a loyalist among you, or maybe he was trying to throw us off the scent. Whatever it was, that got us up to this point. That's all I know, I swear!"

"Lock these maggots up," ordered Greer. "I may have questions for them later."

"Yes, sir," obeyed the Jaffa.

Greer walked out of the tent, then began running. He headed for the council tent, stormed into a strategy meeting, picked Effie Trinket up by the collar, and slammed her against a post.

"Sergeant Greer, what the hell are you doing?" demanded Colonel Young.

"Don't frak with me, you little snitch," threatened Greer. "I can and will snap your pretty little neck like a twig."

"Greer!" repeated Young, drawing his weapon.

"She's a traitor, sir," explained Greer. "The Peacekeepers found us because she left a trail of breadcrumbs for them."

"I swear, I didn't-" defended Effie.

"Shut up!" interrupted Greer. "Some deer grease on the DHD. A couple of pebbles in a boot-print. Very nice work, if I do say so myself."

"Greer, she didn't leave the clues," intervened Haymitch.

"And how would you know that?"

"Because I did!" revealed Haymitch.

Greer dropped Effie to the ground, leaving her to catch her breath, and turned his attention to Haymitch.

"You'd better start talking, mister," threatened Young, "Or I will not be responsible for anything Sergeant Greer does to you."

"You've heard the stories about how District 13 got bombed down to the bedrock," began Haymitch.

"Miss Everdeen has told me, yes," affirmed Young.

"Well, it's true, but they didn't get everybody. Those who were still alive went underground. They've been planning for years to overthrow the Capitol, put their own people in power. And I've been working with them."

"Are you telling me that you sabotaged this mission because you thought it would help this faction?" asked Young.

"No, of course not," denied Haymitch. "Thing is, the resistance knew about the Stargate. But they never planned something as grandiose as breaking into Peacekeeper HQ. Instead, they've been building their own gate. Found the plans on some ancient computer. They thought it was a joke at first, but their best physicists seemed to think it'd work."

"I dunno about this, sir," commented Young.

"He's telling the truth," said Young. "It's probably based on the one the alien built in Colonel Carter's basement."

"Sir?"

"I'll explain later. Go on, Mr. Abernathy."

"I'd heard they were close to finishing the device, so I left them the clues. I also left messages, which – by the way – I guarantee the Peacekeepers will never find."

"Let's hope you're right," said Young. "So why, after all this, are you still helping us?"

Haymitch looked Young straight in the eye. "Because I'm starting to see that this is the better play. I've met some of the leaders of District 13, and they're _not _nice people. At this point, I think we'd be better off just taking out Snow ourselves and letting the people sort the rest out."

"Well, Mr. Abernathy," interjected Mon'ac. "This presents us with a problem."

"What's that?" asked Haymitch.

"What we've done so far isn't likely to attract the attention of the Tok'ra and the other Jaffa factions," elaborated Mon'ac. "However, they will surely take notice of the Tau'ri pouring out into the galaxy en masse and stirring up trouble."

"What he means," interpreted Young, "is that if the other factions see earth as a threat, they might be inclined to head back to earth and finish the job the Lucian Alliance started."

"Colonel Young is correct," affirmed Mon'ac.

"So what do we do now?" asked Katniss, finally overcoming her utter shock.

"The only thing we can do," answered Young. "Move ahead with the mission."

Effie glared at Greer as people started filing out.

"I'm truly sorry, ma'am," apologized Greer.

Effie sighed. "I suppose it was a fair assumption, given who I am and where I'm from."

"No," argued Greer. "I shouldn't have lost my temper, and I shouldn't have rushed to judgment."

"Well, then," said Effie. "I forgive you."

Katniss, however, would not be so easily placated.

"Katniss, sweetheart," Haymitch called as he chased her to her tent. Katniss turned and shoved him away.

"Don't you _ever _speak to me again!" she demanded, before running into her tent and bawling her eyes out.

"It's my fault," confessed Eli as he met with Young and the others back aboard Destiny.

"How could this possibly be your fault?" asked Young.

"When I replaced the video footage," explained Eli, "I set it so that the real footage would keep recording and restore itself after we left. That way, the General would get blamed for the whole thing. I should have just destroyed it."

"Don't beat yourself up, Eli," encouraged Young. "It was a good idea."

"Are we really going ahead with this?" asked Rush. "After all that's gone wrong, isn't it abundantly clear that we ought to cut our losses now while we still can?"

"You mean leave earth to be bombed into oblivion?" accused Camille.

"It's not certain that's going to happen," argued Rush. "Besides, we can't be responsible for the entire population of earth does. Anything that might happen, they'll bring upon themselves."

"If we'd left them to their own devices, that might be true," countered Young. "But we let them out of their cage, and as I see it, it was still the right thing to do. We helped make this mess, and we're going to help clean it up. Now, Dr. Rush, I'm going to need your help to get _Odyssey _spaceworthy once we find her. Can I count on you to do that?"

"Did I say I wanted out?"

"That's what I need to hear," approved Young. "We should have the sixth token by tomorrow. Once that's done, we'll be able to extrapolate _Odyssey's _position. Until then, I suggest we get some rest. Dismissed."

Back on Langara, a computer tech input the gate addresses, translated them into coordinates, and found the intersection of the segments between them.

"And, here we are," announced the tech. "K2 main sequence system, almost certainly uninhabited. Only known planet is a tidally-locked gas giant. If your ship is there, it's most likely on one of the moons."

"Good work," approved Colonel Young.

A short time later, the knights assembled, where Colonel Young addressed them.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began. "In just a few hours, we will be making our gate transit to locate and restore the earth ship _Odyssey._"

"I thought we were going by ship," interrupted Effie.

"In order to remain undetected," explained Young, "we will have to travel by Tel'tak cargo ship. It will be a _very _uncomfortable ride, so the pilot is picking us up at the nearest Stargate. Also for this reason, we will not all be able to go. If possible, the _Odyssey _will return to Langara and pick up anyone who wishes to accompany us, but at this time, I need to ask for volunteers to stay behind. Anyone who wishes to volunteer, please step back."

Unsurprisingly to Katniss, Haymitch stepped back. Next was Effie Trinket, followed by the rest of the District 12 Victory Tour team. Kalis pointed to a few Langarans, who withdrew without protest. Finally, a few Peacekeepers stepped back, followed by Colonel Cray himself.

"Very good," approved Young. "The rest of you will meet for mission briefing in one hour. Dismissed."

After the group began to disperse, Katniss turned to Cray.

"Come with us," pleaded Katniss.

"You don't want me along," argued Cray. "I'm not a hero; I'm a pathetic old womanizing boozer."

"I'm not disputing any of that," countered Katniss. "But in spite of all that, you've proven to me that you really do have a heart. Besides, this is your dream."

"Finding the Stargate was my dream," corrected Cray. "Once we'd done that, it was all you. And I couldn't be happier with that outcome."

Katniss offered Cray her hand, which he graciously accepted.

"Good luck," wished Cray.

Aboard the Tel'tak, Peeta came into the cockpit to find Katniss seated on the floor up against the after bulkhead, and took a seat to join her.

"Too crowded for you, too?" asked Peeta.

Katniss nodded. "Twenty-five people, twelve-hour flight, one bathroom. You do the math."

Peeta laughed.

"Besides, flying through hyperspace is kind of cool," added Katniss.

"'Cool'?" asked Peeta. "Is that another one of Eli's expressions."

"Yeah, it is."

"Seems like you and he have gotten really close lately."

"We have," admitted Katniss. "It's weird, because he and I have absolutely nothing in common."

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true. You know, at first, I thought you had a crush on Lieutenant Scott."

Katniss laughed. "Oh, wherever did you get that idea?"

"I saw the way you looked at him aboard Destiny."

Katniss groaned. "I will admit, I thought he was cute. But he's way out of my league. And he has a girlfriend."

"Well, since we're gonna be here awhile," declared Peeta, taking Katniss' hands in his, "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I thought maybe we could talk about what we're gonna do after this is all over."

"Oh gosh," sighed Katniss. "I'm honestly not thinking that far ahead. Though I do I have a few ideas. Why, what are you thinking about doing?"

"Katniss," said Peeta as he looked deeply into her eyes. "I wasn't talking about you and me. I was talking about _us_."

"Oh," replied Katniss, at a loss for words.

"Yeah," said Peeta, realizing she'd gotten the gist.

Katniss cast her eyes downward.

"Peeta, I'm sorry to do this to you, but there is no 'us'."

"I see," said Peeta. "So I suppose what happened in the arena meant nothing."

"We've been over this! We did what we did to survive. You had my back; I had yours. It worked out for both of us, and I'm glad for that. But I can't decide who I'll spend the rest of my life with based on that. It wouldn't be fair to either of us."

Peeta cast his face downward and sighed. "Was worth a shot."

"I'm so sorry, Peeta."

"Yeah."

"There is another thing," said Katniss after a moment's silence.

"What now?"

"I was going to wait to tell you, but I realize that now is the right time."

"What are you talking about?" asked Peeta.

"I wasn't being completely honest when I said that I wasn't sure what I wanted to do when this is all over," elaborated Katniss. "I mean, I'm still not, but am sure of one thing...I'm not going back to earth."

"Not going back?" echoed Peeta. "Katniss, the people need you!"

"The people need to stand on their own," argued Katniss. "And they will, once we've finished here."

"And what about your mom and Prim?"

"Believe me, I want to get them off of earth, too."

"You want to join the Destiny mission, don't you?"

Katniss nodded. "If that's possible, I'd definitely consider it."

"I know what this is about," accused Peeta. "You're in love with Eli!"

"That has absolutely nothing to do with it!" defended Katniss.

Peeta growled. "I guess I always figured I'd lose out to another guy. I guess I just always figured it'd be Gale."

"Dammit, Peeta!" cursed Katniss. "This isn't about you, or Gale, or Eli, or anyone else. Yes, I admit, I like Eli! But I'm not making any decisions based on him. Wherever I go, and whatever I do, it's going to be where I belong, and I can do the most. And my heart is not some prize to be won!"

"Well, then I guess you really have got it all figured out, haven't you?" said Peeta as he got up.

"Peeta!" called Katniss.

"Go on and enjoy your new-found freedom," said Peeta as he opened the hatch to the cargo bay. "I'm just glad I know where I stand now."

Katniss was still reeling from her argument with Peeta when they arrived in the target system. So it came as no surprise that Peeta volunteered to man the communication stones so Dr. Nicholas Rush could come aboard and analyze the readings.

"There," said Rush, pointing out one of the gas giant's moon. "Roughly the size of earth's moon, surface temperature of six-hundred kelvins, pressure is three-point-five atmospheres, composition of eighty percent carbon dioxide and twenty percent nitrogen, surface composed almost entirely of silicon sand."

"Nice spot for a vacation," commented Adam Brody, occupying the body of one of the Langarans.

"And a prime candidate for hiding a _Daedalus-_class warship," added Rush. "Take us into orbit."

The Jaffa piloted the vessel into orbit and began scanning for naquadah signatures. After about an hour, he found something.

"There," noted the Jaffa. "I'm detecting sufficient quantities of naquadah for a hyperdrive engine. I'm also detecting a set of transport rings."

"That's it!" declared Rush. "We've found _Odyssey!"_

**End of Chapter Eight**


	9. Odyssey

Chapter IX: Odyssey

Complete, total, and utter darkness bathed the interior of the USS _Odyssey_, her corridors barren of any activity, even the most primitive of microbial life. A layer of dust coated the galley and mess hall, the remains of foodstuffs that had long-since decomposed. Clothing, tools, and weapons adorned the shelves, waiting silent for someone – anyone – to use them.

And then, rings emerged from the floor of the transporter room; their loud electrical hum and distinctive "vum-vum" sound filled the corridors, and the flash of light descending through them lit up the room, the first time in almost a millennium that _Odyssey _had seen or heard anything.

The rings returned to their holding place, depositing three figures whose identities thermal suits and respirators concealed.

"We need to find the main power relay," instructed Dr. Nicholas Rush. "Then we can begin restoring life support."

"It's hot in here," observed Katniss, following Rush and assisting him in manually opening doors.

"Yes, it's a good thing we're under fifty meters of sand," responded Rush. "On the surface, these suits wouldn't do us any good."

Sensing that Rush wasn't much for idle chit-chat, Katniss did her best to keep quiet and try to find the power relay. They found it presently, and discovered it would take the both of them to throw the switch.

"On my count," said Rush. "Three...two...one...throw!"

Moving the switch into the "on" position, emergency lighting began to illuminate.

"Now then," said Rush. "Since we're still on reserve power, life support will be in emergency mode, which means it'll have to be activated manually in each compartment. I'll leave that to you and Mr. Brody. I'll be monitoring from the engine room."

"Right," agreed Katniss.

After about an hour, Katniss and Brody had made their way through the ship and restored life support to all compartments.

"Life support is nominal," announced Rush. "We can take our suits off."

Colonel Kalis ringed down along with two other Langarans. Once aboard, they used the stones to bring in Eli Wallace and Dale Volker to further assist with bringing systems online.

"Hey, want to see something really, cool?" Eli asked Katniss as she was passing through the engine room.

"Sure, what is it?" she asked.

"I'm about to restart the naquadah reactor," explained Eli. "Now, naquadah is the same stuff the Goa'uld used to make bombs out of, so this has to be done very slowly, and very carefully. Watch the master at work."

Eli fed reserve power into the naquadah core and slowly began increasing the input, then dialed it back just as slowly as the core began generating power on its own. Once the reactor had reached full power, lights came on and control panels began to illuminate.

"Eli," came the comm signal.

"Yes, Dr. Rush?" responded Eli.

"Did I tell you to bring the reactor online?" scolded Rush.

"No, but it needed to be done."

"Yes, but I'm still working one of the secondary relays," explained Rush. "You could've killed me."

"I'm...sorry?" Eli said sheepishly.

"Never mind," conceded Rush. "Could you just isolate power to this section until I'm done?"

"Copy that," responded Eli.

"Is he always this big of an asshole?" asked Katniss.

"Not always," answered Eli. "Sometimes he's worse."

Once the more advanced work had begun Katniss began to feel a little useless. Sensing this, Brody escorted her to the bridge and sat her down at the weapons console.

"Here," said Brody. "The _Odyssey _is armed with four Asgard plasma beam weapons, 32 electromagnetic projectile guns, and a full complement of nuclear missiles. Now, obviously, you want to use those as an absolute last resort. You also have the ability to attenuate shield strength in sections that require more or less protection. I've placed the console in simulation mode so you can get the hang of it."

"This is amazing," beamed Katniss. "How do you know all this?"

"I was one of the engineers who designed the BC-304 class," informed Brody. "So _Odyssey _is kind of my baby."

"You wouldn't know it from the way Rush talks," commented Katniss.

"Don't let him bother you," advised Brody. "You can work with him just fine as long as you accommodate his ego."

Once basic systems had been restored, the rest of the crew ringed down so the Tel'tak could leave orbit. Within a few days, all major repairs had been completed, and the crew focused on familiarizing themselves with the systems they'd be operating.

On the eve of the launch, Katniss went for a walk around the ship, where she found Dr. Rush, standing in front a system she'd never seen, one clearly different from any other aboard the ship.

"What is this?" she asked.

"This," answered Rush, not looking away. "Is the Asgard computer core."

"What's it do?"

"The Asgard were an advanced and powerful race, millions of years older than humanity. Before they became extinct, they collected all of their knowledge and history, and bestowed it upon us in this machine."

"That's quite a responsibility," noted Katniss.

"It is," agreed Rush. "Quite frankly, I'm not convinced humanity as it currently stands is prepared for it."

"I agree," said Katniss. "So what would you say if you, the crew of Destiny, selected a crew for _Odyssey_? The crew would guard the secrets of the Asgard, and help out wherever they were needed, not giving anyone access until they were sure they were ready."

"Yes," agreed Rush. "My thoughts were along the same lines. Though, Miss Everdeen, I would be inclined to recommend you as a member."

"Me?" asked Katniss. "I'm just a kid from the mine district who happens to be good at a few things."

"Perhaps," granted Rush. "But I see enormous potential in you. Potential that I doubt could ever be fully realized one earth."

"That's why I'm not going back," announced Katniss. "I don't know what my destiny is – pardon the pun – but whatever it is, it's out here. Not back there. I think somewhere, deep inside, I always knew."

"Follow that instinct," counseled Rush. "And I promise you, you'll do great things."

Katniss smiled as she walked away. She decided that Rush wasn't so bad after all.

As the time came to launch, Colonel Kalis took to the bridge and made a general announcement.

"Attention all hands," announced Kalis. "This is Colonel Kalis of the Langaran Defense Force. It has been my privilege to lead this expedition. However, this is not my ship, and thus I must relinquish command to its rightful custodians."

Kalis touched a stone and swapped aboard Destiny.

"This is Lieutenant Matthew Scott," announced the person in Kalis' body. "I am now in command of this vessel. We will be lifting off momentarily. I need go/no-go on all systems. Engine room?"

"Go flight," reported Eli.

"Nav."

"Go flight," reported the Jaffa at the navigational console.

"Tactical."

"Go flight," reported Katniss.

Scott conferred with the other station chiefs before giving the order.

"Nav," ordered Scott. "Take us up, nice and slow."

"Aye, sir," obeyed the Jaffa.

_Odyssey _trembled, first as she struggled to free herself from the sand, and then from atmospheric turbulence.

"We've cleared the surface."

"Shields to fifty percent," ordered Scott.

"Aye, sir," responded Katniss. "Shields at fifty percent."

"We've cleared atmosphere," reported the Jaffa.

Before they could clear orbit, however, a number of blips appeared on Katniss' screen.

"We've got company," reported Katniss.

"Shields to maximum," ordered Scott.

"We're being hailed," reported Katniss.

"On speakers," ordered Scott.

"This is Tartarus of the Tok'ra," greeted the caller. "Surrender your vessel and prepare to be boarded."

"This is Lieutenant Matthew Scott of the earth ship _Odyssey_," responded Scott. "We have no quarrel with you. We ask that you stand down and let us through."

A few seconds later, an impact rocked the ship.

"Direct hit," reported Katniss. "Shields are holding. Guess they didn't like our answer."

"Looks like our secret's out," commented Scott. "Helm, get us out of here!"

"Unable to comply," responded the Jaffa. "Hyperdrive will not engage."

"Eli, what the hell is going on down there?" demanded Scott.

"We just blew a couple of power relays," reported Eli. "Attempting to bypass."

"Make it snappy," ordered Scott. "We're getting our ass handed to us!"

_Odyssey _attempted to outrun the Tok'ra vessels. Though the earth vessel had a distinctive speed advantage, there were just too many of them, and the Asgard beam weapons, while effective, simply couldn't take out enough of them.

"Shields at forty percent," reported Katniss. "We can't seem to outrun them."

Scott nodded. "The only way to outrun a laser is the _hyperdrive!"_

"I'm almost done, I swear!" reported Eli.

"Sir, I've got more contacts on sensors," reported Katniss.

"Oh, fan-fraking-tastic!" responded Scott.

"Wait a minute," reported Katniss. "They're firing on the Tok'ra."

"Earth ship _Odyssey,_" blared the comm. "This is Mon'ac of the Clan of Rya'c, in command of the Jaffa fleet. May we be of assistance?"

"Hell, yes!" accepted Scott. "We're having some problems with our hyperdrive. Could you try and keep them off of us until we get it sorted out?"

"We'll do our best," promised Mon'ac. "Mon'ac, out."

"We'd better get a move on," advised Katniss. "They won't last very long out there."

"Eli, how about that hyperdrive?" asked Scott.

"I think I've got it," reported Eli.

"You _think?"_

"Yeah, I've got it. Try it now."

"Course laid in," reported the Jaffa. "Engaging hyperdrive."

The _Odyssey _disappeared into hyperspace, leading the Jaffa fleet to follow suit.

While en route to Langara, Eli took a break and went looking for Katniss. He found her in the launch bay, in the cockpit of an F-302.

"Hey," greeted Eli.

"Hey, yourself," replied Katniss.

"Cool planes, huh?"

"Yeah," agreed Katniss. "You think I could learn to fly one of these?"

"Maybe," answered Eli. "How are you math skills?"

Katniss frowned. "Not so great."

"Maybe you just need the right teacher."

"Maybe," granted Katniss. "Or maybe flying a space fighter isn't for everyone."

"Well, one thing I've learned is that, under enough pressure, people can accomplish just about anything."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "If that were true, the miners in District 12 would be turning that coal into gold."

"Oh, you can't force it," clarified Eli. "The kinds of challenges that bring people together and bring out the best in them happen all by themselves."

"Heaven knows we've had a few of those on this campaign," observed Katniss.

"And it's not over yet," added Eli.

"Don't remind me. I'd like to forget that we still have to pull this whole thing off."

After sitting contentedly for several minutes in the shotgun seat of the 302, looking at Katniss' reflection in the windscreen, Eli decided a certain issue needed to be addressed.

"Listen," ventured Eli. "About the other night."

"Don't think anything of it," assured Katniss. "It's not a big deal."

"Actually, it kind of is," argued Eli. "I've been wrong about this kind of thing before, but it seems to me that there's something between us."

Katniss sighed. "You're not imagining things, Eli. Truth is, I could picture us together. But only if..."

"If only we were in the same galaxy," supplied Eli.

"Exactly," confirmed Katniss. "When you think about it, it kind of gives new meaning to the term 'long-distance relationship'."

"Oh, that particular definition has been in use for some time," informed Eli. "Camille and her girlfriend tried to keep their relationship going that way."

"Girlfriend?" asked Katniss. Since homosexuality was punishable by death in Panem, the idea seemed somewhat foreign to her.

"Yeah," said Eli. "Obviously, it didn't work. They broke up just before we went into stasis. It was heart-wrenching, but undoubtedly the right thing to do."

"It could still happen," speculated Katniss. "If I could find a way to get aboard Destiny."

Eli chucked. "Yeah, and if a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his ass when he hops!"

Katniss burst out laughing at that remark.

"Seriously," said Katniss. "I'm not saying it won't happen, but don't wait for me. If something develops aboard Destiny, go for it."

"I can't imagine who that would be," said Eli.

"Lieutenant James is very pretty," suggested Katniss.

Eli laughed. "Me and Vanessa! I dunno; stranger things have happened."

"They sure have."

**End of Chapter Nine**


	10. The Siege

Chapter X: The Siege

Throughout the history of Panem, the Avenue of the Tributes had always been a place of celebration, merriment, and spectacle. Today, however, it hosted an entirely different kind of spectacle.

Instead of being populated by the who's-who of the Capitol, the spectator stands lining the street were filled to standing-room-only with Peacekeepers. And instead of chariots carrying ostentatiously-groomed tributes, an enormous plexiglass box occupied the street. Today, the television sets of Panem would not broadcast the Games, or any other sort of entertainment. Instead, they would present, in living color, Panem's largest-ever public execution.

Standing just outside the door to the box was a line of Peacekeepers, goading the condemned into the box one by one as their names were read off. Most of the condemned were former Peacekeepers, many of them having been associated in some way with Colonel Cray. However, the last three names on the list stood out above all others:

"Primrose Everdeen...Marian Everdeen...Gale Hawthorne."

"People of Panem," began President Snow as he took the podium. "All of these stand before you, having been found Guilty, on the charge of Treason Against the State. All of these either conspired personally to incite rebellion, or aided and abetted those who did.

"It is to my sorrow, and disgust, that the majority of the condemned were once members of the Peacekeeper Corps. Having taken a sacred oath to uphold law and order in the Federation, and to carry out the orders of the State, they deliberately violated that oath, abusing the powers entrusted to them by the State to subvert, undermine, and sabotage the same.

"Let it be known that we shall not be so trusting from now on, and that it will take time and hard work to regain our trust. In order to demonstrate that such authority and trust cannot be used to shield oneself from the consequences of ones actions, we are here today to carry out the sentence of Death by Gas Asphyxiation.

"The execution will commence on my command. And may whatever god you believe in, have mercy-"

Before the President could finish his sentence, a bright light consumed him from the inside out, making an eerie ringing and a "thump-foom" sound as it carried him up into the sky.

Before he could take in his surroundings, Snow found himself staring at the business end of a number of rifles and staff weapons. Two of the gunmen parted and allowed Katniss Everdeen through.

"Miss Everdeen," growled Snow. "I should have known you were behind this outrage."

"Mister President" Katniss greeted with a smile. "You are under arrest. Escort the President to the bridge."

"Eli, do we have the Everdeens and Mr. Hawthorne?" asked Scott as Katniss and Snow arrived on the bridge.

"That's affirmative," reported Eli. "They're being assigned quarters as we speak."

"Are we ready on transporters?"

"Transport macro has been loaded," reported Eli.

"Stand by," ordered Scott. "Comm, are we ready to broadcast?"

"Affirmative, sir," reported the Jaffa. "VHF signal is ready."

"Katniss, you're on," prompted Scott.

At that moment, broadcasts were disrupted, and Katniss' face appeared on every monitor in Panem.

"Do not attempt to adjust your receivers," began Katniss. "This is Katniss Everdeen aboard the earth ship _Odyssey_. The execution you've tuned in to witness has been stayed pending further investigation. President Snow has been placed under arrest. As of today, the Federation of Panem ceases to exist. What replaces it will be up to you. Please stand by for further information."

"Oh, that was beautiful!" beamed Eli.

"Commence evacuation," ordered Scott.

"Aye, cap'n," acknowledged Eli."Evacuation in progress."

People began beaming out of the Capitol in groups of about twenty. After about half an hour, the city was completely empty.

"Target forward rail-guns," ordered Scott.

"Forward rail-guns targeted at the Capitol," reported the Jaffa.

"Katniss," offered Scott. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Katniss looked over at Snow. "Commence bombardment."

Across the screens of Panem came images of fire raining down from the sky, leveling buildings and consuming the Capitol in flames.

"I have no doubt you could have just as easily vaporized the city in a single stroke," surmised Snow.

"Oh, absolutely," confirmed Katniss. "But this is much more entertaining, don't you think?"

"I hope you realize you've just consigned the districts to the very same fate," threatened Snow.

"We'll see about that," countered Scott, activating the comm. "Eli, what's the status of those missile defense satellites?"

"System has been deactivated," reported Eli, "We're good to go."

"Put me through to the fleet," ordered Scott.

"Channel open," reported the Jaffa.

"Mon'ac, this is Scott."

"Go ahead, Lieutenant," responded Mon'ac.

"Send in the troops."

Capitol airplanes and hovercraft issued forth to firebomb the districts, only to be met by death gliders and F-302s. Having the advantage in speed, maneuverability, and armaments, the gliders and 302s quickly dispatched with the Capitol's air forces.

Tel'taks flew low above the districts, mainly to serve as ring platforms to convey troops from the Al'kesh in orbit. Jaffa and Langarans began subduing Peacekeepers with zat fire, ringing them back up to the ships to be taken prisoner.

By the end of the day, the fighting had subsided, and the Jaffa/Langaran alliance had taken control of the districts.

"Haymitch, what's your status?" inquired Scott.

"Ready to beam down," reported Haymitch. "Anything special you want me to tell District 13?"

"Just what we discussed," replied Scott. "The people are in charge now. They can play ball, or they can be considered hostile and treated as such."

"I'll be sure and tell them," promised Haymitch.

"Send him down, Eli," ordered Scott.

The citizens of the Capitol found themselves standing around the cornucopia in the center of the arena wherein the 74th Hunger Games had taken place. As night fell, the image of Caesar Flickerman appeared in the sky.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please," greeted Flickerman. "The provisional authority has chosen me to speak for all citizens of the Capitol. They have agreed to drop the charges of aiding and abetting the crimes against humanity committed in the Hunger Games. Instead we are to be deprived of citizenship, and exiled through the device known as the Stargate, to an uninhabited and neutral planet. Where we go from there is of no concern to the authority."

After he'd finished speaking, an Asgard beam deposited the gate beside the cornucopia, where it immediately activated. At that moment, a thick gray mist began to form at their feet.

"The mist you see is a neurotoxic gas," explained Caesar. "At these concentrations, the effects are mild and temporary. However, the concentration will continue to increase until the air becomes lethal to breathe. It is therefore imperative that we move through the Stargate as quickly as possible. We have thirty-eight minutes to complete the evacuation. Good luck to us all."

"Thermal scans indicate evacuation is complete," reported Eli. "Shutting down the gate."

"Transport the gate to its temporary location," ordered Scott.

"Stand by," replied Eli. "Stargate is aboard the Al'kesh."

"Transfer custody of the prisoner," ordered Scott.

"Wait, you can't-" protested Snow.

"Bye, bye!" Katniss said as the Asgard transporter whisked him away once again.

"Helm," ordered Scott. "Find us a good parking spot."

"Aye, sir," reported the Helmsman. "Parking orbit established."

"Attention all hands," announced Scott. "This is Lieutenant Scott. Colonel Kalis has the conn. Feel free to call us if you need anything."

Eli removed the stone, causing Kalis to flinch has he returned to his own body.

That evening, Peeta came down to the Mess Hall, where he found Katniss, eating alone.

"This seat taken?" asked Peeta.

"It is now," replied Katniss, showing him to his seat.

"So...we did it," observed Peeta.

"I wouldn't uncork the champagne just yet," cautioned Katniss. "There's still a lot of work to be done."

"Tell me about it," agreed Peeta. "I'm going to be working with Mayor Undersee. He'll be the provisional Governor until we can elect our own officials."

"I assume the Langarans will be around for awhile to maintain law and order," speculated Katniss.

Peeta nodded. "For now. A lot of the Peacekeepers aren't actually bad at law enforcement, so we'll keeping an eye on them; seeing which might be good candidates for local police. They'll also be building a surface-to-orbit defense system, just in case the Tok'ra decide to make any more trouble for us."

"Speaking of which, do you have any idea what changed Mon'ac's mind?"

"I'm not sure," answered Peeta. "But I heard it was something along the lines of tyranny anywhere being a threat to freedom everywhere."

"He could take a lot of flack from the other Jaffa factions for this."

"Probably," agreed Peeta. "But somehow I get the feeling that the others might be a little less hesitant to stand up for the little guy from now on."

"I hope so."

After a few minutes silence, Peeta spoke his piece. "Katniss...about the other night-"

"I'm sorry, Peeta," apologized Katniss. "I shouldn't have been so rough on you for expressing how you feel."

"I'll take that," accepted Peeta. "And I'll also say that I understand your position. I may not like it, but this is your life we're talking about here. And let's face: not every guy gets the girl of his dreams."

"I'll tell you this much," consoled Katniss. "There are a lot of new dreams out there these days."

"Yeah," agreed Peeta. "That there are."

Katniss took Peeta's hand in hers. "I'll never forget what you did for me."

"And I won't forget what you did for me," reciprocated Peeta. "You'll always be special to me, Katniss."

"The feeling's mutual."

Shortly after supper, Katniss turned in for a well-earned good-night's sleep. As she drifted off, the nightmares did not return. For the first time in her life, she began to feel like things might actually turn out alright.

**End of Chapter Ten**

_Stay tuned for the final chapter._


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue

_One Year Later_

At the core drilling site in the hills south of Kelowna City, engineers and technicians made their final preparations connecting the gate to the planet's naquadriah core, while the expedition waited to embark. Among those waiting was Katniss Everdeen, whose family had come to see her off.

"You're sure I can't talk you out of this?" pleaded Prim, one last time.

"Don't you worry, little duck," consoled Katniss. "We're talking two extra sets of communication stones. You can come see me whenever you want."

"It's not the same," said Prim.

"I know," said Katniss, embracing her not-so-little-anymore sister.

Marian Everdeen looked at her daughter and smiled.

"Your father would've been so proud," she beamed, with a certain sadness in her eyes.

"I wish he could've lived to see this," lamented Katniss.

"So do I," empathized Marian.

"Oh good, you haven't left yet," interrupted a short-of-breath Peeta Mellark as he jogged into the room.

"I was starting to worry," said Katniss, accepting his embrace as Peeta threw his arms around her.

"I thought for sure Gale would be here," observed Marian.

"No time for that," said Peeta. "Cray's riding him extra hard in F-302 training. Who'd have thought he'd be a natural-born pilot?"

"I could've guessed," said Katniss. "So, you and Madge, huh?"

Peeta blushed. "Yeah, me and Madge. I guess being a presidential aide is a lot more impressive than being a baker's apprentice."

"It helps when the girl's father is the President," noted Katniss.

"Yeah," agreed Peeta, "I guess so."

"Your attention please," came the official announcement. "We will be dialing the gate in five minutes. Transit will begin immediately upon establishment of a stable wormhole. All expedition personnel, prepare to embark."

"I guess this is it," said Katniss, prompting her family and friend to embrace her all at once. "I love you all."

Katniss waved forlornly as she took her place a safe distance in front of the gate.

"Chevron one encoded," announced a tech. "Chevron one locked. Chevron two encoded..."

"Do you think she'll be alright out there?" asked Marian.

"Oh, yeah," replied Peeta with a smile. "I think she'll be just fine."

"Chevron eight encoded," announced the tech, the moment of truth approaching. "Chevron eight locked. Chevron nine encoded...chevron nine...is locked."

The vortex emerged from the gate, and settled back into the event horizon, and for only third time in all mortal memory, a wormhole bridged the unfathomable distance between the Milky Way and Destiny.

"Thirty-eight minutes, people!" ordered Katniss. "Let's move out!"

"Incoming wormhole," reported Eli.

"Defense teams in position," ordered Lieutenant Scott, preparing his soldiers in the event that these proved to be unwelcome visitors.

The gate activated, and the crew of Destiny had to wait only a moment for their first new arrival. Recognizing the goofy smiling face standing behind one of the consoles at the far end of the room, Katniss immediately ran up to Eli and threw her arms around him. So excited to see her was Eli that he effortlessly picked her up, gear and all, and spun her around.

"I didn't even know you were coming!" beamed Eli.

"I asked Colonel Young to keep a lid on it so it could be a surprise," explained Katniss.

"Save the happy reunion for later," admonished Scott, turning his attention to the rest of the expedition. "We've got a lot of gear coming in. Let's keep it moving."

After about twenty minutes, the first wave had come through. Eli then directed Katniss back over to the console.

"Watch this," he invited, queuing up a command and pressing the execute button. With that, the active gate retracted into the slot in the floor, then reemerged. When it had finished, the large hatch behind the gate rumbled as it slid down into the floor, revealing another large room with another large hatch in the ceiling.

"We wondered for the longest time what that was," narrated Eli. "Until we finally got it working. So are you going to tell me what we needed the bay for?"

Katniss smiled diabolically. "You'll see."

At that time, a small, cylindrical craft flew through the gate, followed shortly thereafter by another.

"Puddle jumpers!" cried Eli. "This day keeps getting better and better!"

A third jumper flew awkwardly through the gate, gently colliding with the other two.

"Watch it, watch it, _watch it!_" chanted Eli as the craft backed up dangerously close to the Stargate. Finally, the pilot got the hang of it, and brought the vessel safely to a stop in its designated parking spot, drawing a sigh of relief from Eli.

"Sorry," came a familiar voice over the comm. "My bad!"

"Effie?" Eli asked incredulously.

"She may not be good for much," said Katniss. "But apparently, she's got an unusually-strong expression of the ATA gene."

Eli reversed the gate once again. The last few stragglers came through before the gate shut down, and the cooling jets activated.

"So that's it for another year," noted Eli.

Katniss nodded. "Necessary to maintain core stability. But the good news is, we've got medical equipment and doctors, weapons and troops – Langaran, Jaffa, and Tau'ri, tools, hardware and engineers to make repairs, and schematics and hardware to build an Asgard transporter."

"And of course, you," added Eli, putting his arm around Katniss as he escorted her out of the room. "Come on, let's go open our presents."

Dr. Dale Volker donned the new uniform, a black jumpsuit with subtle charcoal-gray trim, designed by none other than Cinna himself.

"I look ridiculous," complained Volker.

"You look great," assured Katniss.

"Are you sure a civilian should be wearing this?"

"Has to be to switch with the General," explained Colonel Young. "It wouldn't look right for one of our own people to be giving himself orders."

The entire crew assembled in the gate room, with the military personnel lined up in the front, clad in their new uniforms. On the balcony atop the dual staircases appeared Colonel Young.

"Tench-_hut!"_ called Scott, causing the soldiers to stand at attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen," introduced Young. "General Ian Kalis."

Young took his place among his officers, yielding the podium, as it were, to Kalis.

"Crew of the starship Destiny," began Kalis. "It is my privilege to announce that the combined military forces of Langara and the Tau'ri Federation will henceforth be known as Sky Force. Our ongoing mission is to explore, and to uphold peace and freedom throughout our sphere of influence. Colonel Cray has assumed command of the _Odyssey, _and will seek out others – be they human, Jaffa, Tok'ra, or non-human – to join us in our cause.

"It is also my honor to recognize the crew of Destiny, and to present those in leadership with the ranks appropriate to their level of service on this special mission.

Kalis turned his attention to military personnel, presenting each with his or her new rank, and having them line up along the balcony to his sides, the civilians applauding as he did so.

"Second Lieutenant Katniss Everdeen...Captain Ronald Greer...Major Vanessa James...Major Tamara Johansen...Colonel Matthew Scott...and Brigadier General Everett Young."

"In addition," continued Kalis, "On behalf of the President of the Tau'ri Federation, I am pleased to confer upon Camille Wray the title and position of Ambassador at Large to the Civilizations Beyond the Local Cluster. Congratulations to you all, and godspeed."

Kalis finished his speech to the sound of thunderous applause. As the crowd dispersed, Eli sought out Katniss.

"Congratulations, Lieutenant," he said with a smile.

Katniss laughed. "Thanks. It's a shame they didn't have anything for you."

"Ah, who am I?" Eli dismissed modestly. "Just the guy who holds this bucket together."

Katniss put her arms around his neck. "Well, I think that's worthy of something."

Eli smiled, then dove in for his first face-to-face, in-galaxy kiss with Katniss Everdeen.

Several troops lined the cargo bay of a Tel'tak as they brought in the prisoner.

"Coriolanus Snow, sometime President of the Federation of Panem" said Minister Peeta Mellark. "You have been found Guilty of Crimes Against Humanity by a special tribunal of the Tau'ri Federation. We are here today to carry out the sentence of Death. Do you have anything to say?"

"You believe you've won a great victory," filibustered Snow. "But I promise you, your revelry will be short-lived. Throughout history, any and all attempts by the people to rule themselves have failed miserably. In time...perhaps in a year, perhaps in ten, perhaps in a hundred...chaos will ensue, and the people will yearn for the leadership I once provided. And I will be smiling down upon you, knowing I was always right."

"Very eloquent, sir," granted Peeta. "But your words ring hollow. Your actions have been motivated not by care nor concern for your people, but by your own lust for power, and for blood. And now you must bear the consequences of your actions. Carry out the sentence, please."

"Jaffa," called the Jaffa commander. "Kree!"

A Jaffa placed a stone with a plaque within the rings. When Snow refused to move, the butt of a staff weapon forced him into the rings. The rings activated, and carried the condemned tyrant to his doom.

When the rings retracted, Snow stood in a dry, dusty place. As the air left his lungs, he fell to his knees, then collapsed on his side. With the sun glowing just below the horizon, he could see the remains of a landing module, and ancient Stars and Stripes, flying the same as they had eight centuries ago. It was the last thing he saw as he faded from his mortal existence.

Beside his remains, in that place once known as the Ocean of Storms, lay a plague of naquadah and trinium alloy, bearing these words:

"_The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."_

_-Thomas Jefferson, 1787_

**The End**

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